Two Harts: The Rest of the Story
by mommakisses
Summary: Jonathan Hart just proposed to Jennifer Edwards after a whirlwind romance. How do they go from two lives to one? This story begins to fill in the gap between their meeting story and the pilot.
1. Chapter 1

Two Harts are Better than One: The Rest of the Story  
By Beth Bradshaw

Chapter 1

Married. Jennifer's head was spinning with the amazing turn of events. She had been headed from London to New York, trying to figure out what on earth had made Jonathan Hart turn on her so fast when she found herself detained by a detective for the second time. Before Jennifer could object, they were riding a horse-drawn carriage through the streets of London. The fact she was now engaged to the very man who had her arrested made her head spin. The last 48 hours had been an unbelievable roller coaster ride of emotions.

First this Jonathan Hart wouldn't even give her the time of day to do her story on him, then they enjoyed a magical evening of dinner and dancing which lead, albeit indirectly, to him thinking she was a murder. Jennifer tumbled from a kidnapped victim, held at gunpoint, and finally rescued by her knight in shining armor (played by Jonathan Hart), who turned on her again and had her arrested — well, taken in for questioning. But still.

Standing in line to board her plane, yet another detective hauled her in for more questions, or so she was lead to believe. Instead of Scottland Yard, he delivered her back to Jonathan and a marriage proposal. And when he had an answer for every one of her lame objections in a halfhearted effort to dissuade him, she heard herself accepting! A marriage proposal!

Jonathan's "Once around the park" comment to Max had been instructions to take them through London back to the Ritz via horse and carriage. Snuggled in his arms in the back of the carriage, she vaguely wondered what effort went into creating the experience. This man could make things happen, and she was impressed. Turning to look at him, Jennifer was struck, once again, with how very handsome he was. Boyish good looks and charm, dark, thick hair and bright, blue eyes, and when he grinned at her, Lord have mercy… he made her knees weak, and her stomach flip.

His eyes met hers. Every time they connected, Jonathan felt time stop. Jennifer Edwards was all he could see, and there was no one else in the world. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. And it wasn't just her physical appearance, which was breathtaking. Her auburn hair, hazel eyes, though that was up for discussion, as they seemed to change with her moods. And in the craziness of the last 48 hours, he had witnessed several changes! No, this woman was the whole package — looks, intelligence, class, sass, strength, and yet an incredibly sexy vulnerability. Letting her get away from him would have been the biggest mistake of his lifetime. In only 48 hours, he had come to realize living without Jennifer Edwards by his side was something he could no longer do.

However, he had needed time enough to sign the paperwork, so Kingsford Motors didn't go under, and then he could fully concentrate on winning her over. Max helped devise, and pull off, a plan to keep her in London a little bit longer. He knew the inspectors detaining her would make her incredibly angry. His concern was if she would be able to get past her anger and the slight to her ego.

Jonathan figured his appeal had to be convincing, and he could leave no doubt he was serious about her. He desired her like no other. Having grown up in an orphanage, he could only guess at what it was like to love someone. This meant by trial and error. Max was the nearest thing to a father he had experienced. He took that knowledge and applied it to the women he dated. The only one that was even close was Nikki Stephanos, and she was more sister than lover when all was said and done.

But Jennifer. Everything was different with Jennifer.

Jonathan leaned a little closer, held her a little tighter, but it just didn't feel close enough. When he turned to find her looking at him, he felt his whole body flush. "You take my breath away," he whispered as he leaned in to kiss her. "I am eager to make love to you… No jet lag is getting in the way this time!"

"Patience. I promise it will be worth the wait."

They discussed the things they would like to see together in London while they were making their way back to the Ritz. Jennifer, having grown up traveling with her parents, knew the town well. The more quaint and less touristy side of London. Jonathan never slowed down beyond his business agendas on his many trips and was eager to learn more than bars and restaurants. It had been his suggestion they go back to the Ritz to call her father before they venture out for the evening.

As they entered the suite, Jonathan pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her waist. "You have made me a very happy man today." He leaned in and kissed her again. He wasn't sure a lifetime together was going to be enough. Pulling back ever so slightly, he relished in their breathlessness. "I don't know how you do it, Jennifer Edwards."

Still soaking in the taste of his kiss on her lips, she whispered, "How I do what, Mr. Hart?"

"Make every kiss feel like the first time and the comfort of home. All at the same time wrapped up in one little package. You are simply amazing."

"Well, thank you very much." She placed another small kiss on his lips. "I'm just getting warmed up," she teased as she pulled back out of his embrace. "What phone should I use to call my father?"

"Use that one by the couch. I'll be right back." He headed into the bedroom while she dialed the phone.

He didn't take long to answer her call. She greeted him warmly, "Pa!"

"Jennifer! I didn't expect to hear from you so soon. Are you back in New York already? How did the London trip go? Were you able to get your story?" Stephen Edwards loved to hear from his daughter.

"Oh, I got the story. And so very much more..." She turned and surveyed her surroundings. She smiled to herself, feeling a bit like she was dreaming. "Guess what, Pa?"

"What, Sweetheart? You know this old man doesn't like guessing games."

It was just as well. Jennifer could no longer contain her excitement. "I'm getting married!" The silence her statement met with was almost deafening. "Did you hear me, Pa?" She looked back as Jonathan entered the room, paperwork in hand, and shrugged her shoulders. He crossed the floor, heading to the second bedroom in the suite, looking for Max.

"I heard. But I'm not sure I heard correctly. I thought I heard you say you're getting married. However, I know that can't possibly be right. My daughter would not be getting married to someone I have yet to meet… someone who has not even asked her father's permission for her hand as of yet."

Trying to keep her voice quieter, Jennifer turned away from the direction Jonathan headed. "Yes, Pa. You heard correctly. I have met a man, and I am in love with him, and he is in love with me, and he wants to marry me."

"Oh, I'm sure he does want that. Is this boy there with you right now?"

Fighting to hide her irritation, Jennifer answered, "He's not a boy, Dad. He's a man, and his name is Jonathan Hart."

"Your story? Do you think you are marrying the man from your story? Is he there? I want to talk to this boy immediately!"

She turned back to find Jonathan had come back into the room and was watching her, with that grin on his face. Once more, the smile made her heart race. Jennifer held out the phone receiver towards him. He cocked his head and walked towards her. Placing her hand over the speaker to muffle the sound, she whispered, "My father would like to speak to you. He is irritated you didn't wait to meet him and ask his permission before asking me to marry you."

He leaned in and kissed her as he reached for the phone. "This is Jonathan Hart."

"Jonathan Hart." Stephen tasted the name as he said it. It was almost bitter in his mouth. "I don't know who you are, or what you think you are doing, but I'll be damned if I'm going to allow someone I've never met marry my daughter!"

"Well, Sir, I think…"

"I don't give a damn what you think. You two had better be on the next plane out of London. I want you here. Now!" His near shouting turned to a mumble before he hung up the phone, "Didn't even ask for permission. You think you're just going to waltz in and walk away with my daughter. Like hell…" and he was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Jonathan caught Jennifer's eyes as he hung up the phone. "Well. That went well…"

She walked over to him and hugged him as she started to apologize to him, "I am so sorry. I don't know what's gotten into him. He's never acted that way before."

"Oh?" He smiled an impish grin, "You've called him from a foreign land and announced you were getting married to a complete stranger before?"

She laughed despite her frustration. "When you put it like that… No. I have not. And," she sighed as she put her head on his chest. "I guess he has a right to be unhappy with the situation."

"And we, my Darling, have a flight to catch. Max and I can get our bags ready…"

She was off on another line of thought before he finished his, "So much for taking extra time and hanging out in London." She let go of him and walked towards the window, pondering her actions earlier that day. "Maybe giving my ticket to the flower lady wasn't the best idea… I wonder when the last flight to New York is."

"Whenever I say it is." He picked up the phone and started dialing, "I'll have Leonard get the plane ready so that we can get out of here quickly."

She turned back to face him, "Get the plane ready?"

He smiled. Jennifer had much to learn about him and the life she just agreed to. The thought of introducing her to it made his heart skip a beat. "Yes, get the plane ready… Leonard! Hey, we have a change in the schedule. Yes, we need to fly to…" he turned to Jennifer, and whispered, "I forgot to ask, where are we going?" Maybe she wasn't the only one who would be learning a thing or two in this venture.

She giggled at him, "Maryland. We will fly into Baltimore."

"Baltimore, Leonard. We will fly to Baltimore tonight." He watched her as he listened. She had walked back to the couch and was chatting with Max, who had just entered the room like they were old friends. Amazing. "Perfect. We will grab a quick dinner, and be there by 7:30." He checked his watch. "Maybe 7:45. Do you want us to bring anything to you? Great. Thank you!" Hanging up the phone, he turned to them, "Wheels up at 8. We need to pack, grab a bite, and get on the road."

"How about I get the kitchen to make us something to go?" Max offered.

"Dinner at 33 thousand feet?" Jonathan questioned.

"Sounds lovely." Jennifer smiled at him. The sight of which he was sure he would never tire.

"OK then. I'll finish packing," Jonathan agreed, walking to the bedroom.

"And I'll get the food," Max said as he headed for the door.

"What about packing, Max?" Jonathan questioned. "You could just call down before you finish packing."

Max laughed. "I'm already packed. The way I figure it, I have about 45 minutes to settle the score with Jeffery and Clive."

"Good luck, Max!" Jennifer called after him. She turned to Jonathan. "How can I help?"

"Maryland?"

"Uh-huh."

"You grew up in Maryland? How did this not get discussed the other night?"

"Well… I think it might have somewhere between all the champagne and the dancing." She walked to him and embraced him, "You remember? Horse farm? Trees? The lake? I'm sure I told you…"

"Those things I remember." He lightly brushed a curl from her face with his fingers, to get a better look into those eyes, his hand lingered. "I guess I was thinking maybe Massachusetts."

She nestled her cheek into the palm of his hand. "Oh, that's where I went to school."

"Long commute?"

"Boarding."

"Beautiful." He leaned in and kissed her. He could feel her body relax against his, and it made his longing for her grow stronger. "I wish we had more time," he whispered.

"We will have the rest of our lives, my Darling. Right now, we have a plane to…" he interrupted her mouth with his own. "Ah, I can see this will difficult to accomplish." She smiled at him.

"Don't do that…" he warned her.

Puzzled, she responded, "Don't do what?"

"Smile at me like that. I am finding I lose all self-control when you do." Her grin widened, she ran her fingers through his hair and pulled him back for in another kiss. Then she sauntered off towards his bedroom, "More to come, once the packing is done, Mr. Hart."

"You drive a hard bargain, Ms. Edwards," as he quickly followed her.

***

"Who was that, Darling?" Suzanne Edwards asked as she walked into the living room. "I could hear you bellowing from the kitchen, and thought I had better see what all of the fuss is about."

Startled by his wife's voice, Stephen Edwards turned to face her, "The fuss?" he responded, still feeling rather indignant. "The fuss is your incorrigible daughter!"

"You were speaking to our Jenny that way, ma chérie?" She was only mildly feigning her own irritation. She did not appreciate it when he lost control of his temper. She slid her arms around his shoulders.

"Of course not, Darling," Stephen embraced his wife. "No, I was speaking to the man she thinks she is going to marry."

"Pardon me, sir," Walter, the Edward's butler, stepped into the room. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Our little Jenny is getting married? Tellement excitant! And you did not let me talk to her? Oh, Stephen!"

"Walter! Yes, please. I believe we will be having guests tonight. Would you make sure Jennifer's room is ready? Now, now, Suzanne, there will be plenty of time for you to talk to her. I told them they are to come here at once so we can discuss this properly." Stephen could feel his frustration building back up, just thinking about the conversation. He left his wife's embrace, moved to the bar, and began fixing himself a drink. "She did one interview with this man, and now she thinks we will let her marry him?" As an afterthought, "Oh, and Walter? The guest house, too."

"Very good, Sir."

"Interview? You mean the man she went to London to interview?"

He took a drink before he answered, "Yes, the one and the same."

"And you would put him in the guest house?" Suzanne questioned him. "What is his name?"

"Hart. Jonathan Hart." Yep, still just as bitter tasting. "And I'll not have him sleeping with my daughter before he does marry her. At least not in my house."

She shook her head but decided to drop the topic, "Jennifer Hart. Charmant."

"Now, don't get too attached. We must meet this man first."

"Oh, Stephen. You mustn't be so proper with her. She is a child of 29. You must let her make her own decisions now. Trust her! If our Jenny thinks he is the right man for her, then he must be a very good man."

***

Max, Jonathan, and Jennifer met up with Leonard and began loading the food and luggage on the plane. Really, by the time the three arrived, Leonard had everything ready. He quickly took the little bit of luggage to the storage area and moved to prepare for their long journey.

Once the wheels were up and the plane was in the air, Max went up to sit with Leonard leaving Jonathan and Jennifer chatting over their meal together. Topics and banter moved so fast Jennifer could hardly keep track. This man was charming, intelligent, handsome… nothing short of amazing! A thought popped into her head, "Oh! I forgot I went shopping."

Jonathan was caught off guard, "Shopping? When did you have time to go shopping?"

"Oh, you know we love-starved matrons know how to peek through keyholes to get what we want," she giggled at her dig.

"I'm going to be paying for that little slip for a while, huh?"

"Maybe. Hang on; I picked a little something up for you." She got up from the little table they had been sharing their meal at and headed back towards the back of the plane where she had left her bag. She came back with a brown paper bag. "I didn't have time to wrap it."

Jonathan felt his heart skip a beat, knowing she thought to pick something up for him. "That is so sweet." He opened the bag to find a book. The title was 21 Reasons for Living A Collection of Interviews From 21 Favorite People. The author's name caught him off guard. "By Jennifer Edwards? You didn't tell me you wrote a book."

Thinking for a moment, Jennifer told him, "I guess it didn't come up."

"What else have you not told me yet?" He grinned at her.

"Well, I guess you'll just have to find out as we go."

"Ummm, I think I like the sound of that. The discovery of Jennifer Edwards." He flipped open the cover, and paused, "I think you forgot something…"

"Forgot something? What do you mean?"

"And so humble, too…" He laughed. "You didn't sign it. I mean, I think my copy of my fiancé's book should be autographed, shouldn't it?"

"Ah, you are so right!" She ran back to her bag and came back with a black sharpie. She opened the front cover and wrote inside. Then as she shut the book, she said, "There you go, kind sir, 'tis all fixed now."

"And I thank you, Madame." Opening the book, he read, To my Darling Jonathan – Love Jennifer – Hart to Hart! "I love it. Thank you." He patted the cover of the book, "This will be a treasured book in my library!" He leaned across the table and kissed her.

"You know, it's going to be late when we get in, and then by the time we get to the farm, I'm guessing it will be midnight their time, but feel like 5 am to us. We probably should think about getting a little rest on the plane."

"I know we should," he responded, "but I'm not tired yet."

"Me either, I'm just trying to be practical."

"How about this… In-flight movie?"

"Seriously? You can do that?"

"I have three to pick from, Funny Lady, The Return of the Pink Panther, and Jaws."

"You pick, I haven't seen any of them yet. I don't get to movies very often."

Jonathan picked Jaws, grabbed a blanket, and they settled in together on the couch. He found contentment holding her close to him, to familiarize her scent, the rhythm of her breathing, the contour of her body as it fit with his own. Jonathan decided he liked the feeling.

Somewhere before the movie was half over, Jennifer had fallen asleep. Before the movie ended, they both were.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Jennifer slowly opened her eyes, trying to remember where she was… Her head didn't feel like she had been drinking, but nothing looked familiar, and in her exhaustion, her memory was sketchy at best. As she tried to move, she became aware of the arm draped across her, and then her ears heard the steady breathing behind her.

As her recollection began to fill in the missing pieces, she felt the smile on her face grow. What a day yesterday had been. Truthfully, the last 48 hours had rocked her world. And now, they were on Jonathan's plane flying to Maryland so she could introduce him to her parents.

Her parents! Ugh. She forgot to call them and let them know when exactly they would be arriving. Trying to move around and see her watch without waking Jonathan, Jennifer began to wonder how long they had been sleeping. Her body felt a bit stiff, maybe from sleeping in such tight quarters. She maneuvered herself into a semi-sitting position before she could see the dial. Midnight. The light outside the plane windows didn't agree with the time. As Jennifer pondered the two conflicting truths, she remembered she had yet to change from London time. That means they still had about four hours of flight time.

That also meant it was 7 pm at home. Her parents would be having drinks in the study. She wondered if there was any way she could contact them.

Jennifer turned to look at the face belonging to the arm still wrapped around her. How is this even possible? It wasn't so very long ago she was sure she would never find someone to love her. To really love her. A man and his lust she was all too familiar with, but honest love? That was something entirely different. Something unexpected. And something she was done trying to find.

Then, like a warm summer breeze stirring the ocean waters, there he was. He was able to burn through any defenses she had like a warm knife through butter. Truth be told, she was completely defenseless when it came to this man.

The door to the cockpit opened, and Max stepped into the room. "Hey, Max?" she whispered, still not wanting to wake Jonathan.

"Hey, Ms. Edwards. I didn't want to wake you guys, just wanted to check on you. I know you were exhausted from the day's events."

"You didn't. I was already awake."

"Do you need something?"

"Well, I don't know if it's possible, but is there any way we can get a message to my parents? I forgot to call them before we left London, and I want to let them know when we would be in."

"Of course. You can use the phone behind you. Just hit the white button. The red one will connect you with the cockpit if you need something from us."

"Seriously? A phone." She turned her head to face the direction he indicated, "Ah, you are a gem, Max!"

"Ain't I just?" He smiled and retreated to the cockpit.

She giggled at him. That man was a delight! Carefully moving toward the phone, she managed to dial the number and not wake Jonathan. She was amazed at her skill. Or maybe he was just a heavy sleeper? One of the things she hoped to soon discover for herself.

"Hello? Chez Edwards." Suzanne Edwards answered the phone.

"Hello, Momma!"

"Jenny! Ma Chérie! It is so good to hear your voice! Papa tells me you have some very exciting news! I can't wait to hear all about it!"

"Oh, Momma! I am so thrilled! Please let Pa and Walter know we will be getting into Baltimore around 11 tonight, and home as soon as we can. I'm guessing 12 or 12:30."

"Oui, Jenny. Papa and Walter are already making preparations for you, and your guest. I am very excited to get to know this man."

Jennifer looked down at Jonathan's sleeping face, "Momma, you will just love him! I sure do."

"Oui, oui, my Jenny. I am so happy."

"Oh, and Momma, there will be two men with me. Not just one."

"Deux?"

"Oui. Jonathan has a friend with him. His name is Max."

"Oui. Jonathan and Max. We will be ready." Suzanne paused a moment, and as if an afterthought, added, "And Jenny, Papa will be more pleasant than your last conversation. Je promets."

"Merci, Momma. Je t' aime!"

"Je t' aime, my Jenny!"

Jonathan began to stir as Jennifer hung up the phone. "Shoot. I tried not to wake you."

"It's not a problem. I kind of like waking to the sound of your voice in French. It's very sexy."

"This, I must remember, mon amour." She leaned down and gently kissed him. "Max told me I could call my parents. I hope that's not a problem."

"Of course not. I'm glad you were able to get ahold of them." He yawned sleepily. "That call sounded like it went better than the last one." He snuggled closer to her body and laid his head back down on her chest.

"Yes." She found her fingers playing with the back of his hair. "That was my mother. She's not nearly as hard-headed and protective as my father."

Jonathan laughed. "I can only imagine. If I had a daughter as beautiful as you, I think I'd be overprotective, too."

She smiled at the thought of Jonathan Hart, the self-made millionaire, chasing a laughing toddler around the park. Maybe someday.

***

As the plane pulled into the hanger, it was met by a customs agent who greeted them by name and asked a few quick questions before sending them on their way.

"Wow, that was easy," she laughed as the agent walked away. "I'm going to have to remember to travel with you more often."

"I certainly hope so," he smiled back at her. He started walking towards a waiting vehicle.

"Is this our ride?"

"Yes. I had Leonard call ahead and have it pulled from storage today." He watched her face with some satisfaction. "Do you like it?"

She began to follow him. "Like it? It's a 1967 Jaguar 420 G! Is it manual or automatic?"

"Manual."

"And that's the Willow Green, right?"

He stopped and watched with fascination as she hurried past him to get a better look. "Yes, it is."

"And the interior?" she called as she neared the tail end of the car.

"Grey."

She circled the car, looking it over. "Perfect."

Watching every move Jennifer made, the curves of her body, her long legs, her effortless grace, and poise, Jonathan commented, "She certainly is."

She stood up and looked over the car at him, "What?"

"Um." Shoot, was he blushing? He could feel the heat rush to his face. "I mean, I'm glad you like it. You seem to know your cars."

"Eh. Some of them just grab your attention." He caught up with her, and she stopped directly in front of him.

"Yes, they do." Once again, he felt himself getting lost in her eyes.

"And you keep it in storage?" Jennifer swallowed, drinking in his baby blues, "In Maryland?"

"D.C." She eyed him with a curiosity he could almost feel. Compelled to explain, Jonathan informed her, "Hart Industries keeps a small townhouse and office in D.C., and when I come into town, I like to have my own vehicle to drive."

"Ah! That's very smart, Mr. Hart." Jonathan dropped the bags he carried, gathered her in his arms, pulling her as close as he could and kissed her. As they were locked in their embrace, Max popped the trunk, picked up the bags Jonathan dropped, and started the car.

"Are you two coming? Sheesh."

Newly invigorated, Jonathan answered, "Yes, of course, Max." He flashed his mischievous grin at Jennifer, winked at her, and added, "I wouldn't miss this for the world."

***

Stephen paced the living room floor. It was almost midnight. Nearing the moment of truth with his daughter and this boy who had invaded his life without invitation. The very thought was grating his nerves.

Suzanne could not take his fidgeting much longer. "Mon amour, please. Sit. You will wear the floor bare."

"I don't think I can do this, Suzanne."

"It is only our Jenny. Of course, you can."

"Our Jenny. See. That's what I mean." He turned to face his wife. Something about the way she was standing, just inside the door frame, her once auburn hair now a mixture of strawberry blonde and silver/white waves, cascading down over her shoulders accented her silky white nightgown and robe caught him off guard. Even now, 35 years into their marriage, she took his breath away. Stephen swallowed hard before he could speak again. "She's our Jenny. She's most assuredly, not the issue. It's this boy she's bringing with her. I'm not sure I can share her with another man."

"Oh, ma chérie!" She walked into the room and over to her husband. "She was ours for a little while. She will be ours forever. But she will belong to another as well. If not this one, then another."

Before he could utter another objection, the sound of a car door closing interrupted their conversation. They turned and headed for the front door, but she arrived faster than they did and let herself in. "Momma! Pa!" Jennifer said.

"Chéri!" her mother called as she ran to hug her daughter. "I am so glad to have you home."

Stephen walked to the other side of her to get a better look out the door. "Jennifer, darling…" he turned to face his daughter, "You seem to be missing something…"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Even though she knew what he was referring to, Jennifer turned and looked out the door, following her father's gaze. Then she smiled as she pulled him into a hug. "We are all exhausted."

She pulled him away from the door and turned to shut it for the night. Jennifer flipped the lock before turning to face her parents, "You and Momma included. I do not want the people I love to meet under such strained circumstances. Therefore, I stopped at the guest house and got Jonathan and Max settled in for the night. They will be here at eight tomorrow morning for breakfast and introductions." She turned to face her parents. "I am very much looking forward to watching you grow to love him as I do. However, right now, I only want a shower and my bed."

Her mother stepped up before her father could open his mouth. "Oui, oui, my Jenny! Of course! Your room is waiting for you, mon amour!" Suzanne Edwards slid her arm around her daughter's waist and guided her out of the living room, leaving Stephen standing alone with his thoughts.

He made his way to his study to sit in his chair by the fireplace. His daughter was nothing short of amazing. So much like her mother. Not only in looks did they so highly favor, but in wisdom as well. He was loaded for bear, and would not have given this interloper the common courtesy of proving himself had they met tonight as he had planned. Not because he wanted to be rude, but because he had been stressed and threatened by the announcement made earlier. Jennifer knew him well and knew how to handle him.

And he knew the reality was his only child had him wrapped around her finger. He would give her anything she wanted within his power. Yes, even this intruder, if that's what she wanted. Clearly, she knew him well enough to know he would settle and would greet the young man with a warm welcome given enough time. So she created time. Watching the flames flicker, Stephen could only shake his head. They had been in a chess match, and she put him in checkmate before he even realized they were playing.

Jennifer was, indeed, immensely grown-up.

Jonathan woke with the warmth of the spring morning shining on his face, and the joy of love radiating in his heart. As he laid his head down on the bed last night, he could think only of Jennifer and her father. His thoughts tumbled over and over in his mind until a plan began to germinate and grow.

And this morning, it would be placed into glorious action.

Even though it was only 6 am, he hopped out of bed and made his way to the shower. He was about to walk into his toughest meeting for the most critical merger of his entire life. His opponent would be the most tenacious, resistant, and seasoned one yet. He was not about to step in unprepared.

After a quick shower and shave, he dressed in a blue button-down and a pair of Levis 501 before pulling on his favorite cowboy boots. He was banking on a horseback ride at some point in the day.

When he walked out of his room, he found Max was up brewing some coffee. "Good morning."

"Morning, Mr. H. Coffee?"

"I'd love some, thanks." He sat at the small breakfast table, near the picture window, overlooking hills as far as he could see. "It's gorgeous here, isn't it?"

"Sure is." Max carried over two cups and sat down with him. Together the men sat in contemplative silence and surveyed the land before them.

It was Jonathan who cracked the silence. "I get the feeling my money, and maybe even my hard work, will not impress this man today, Max. So, I'm trying to figure out what I need to do to make sure this goes well." He turned to face the only father figure in his life. "Not that I think Jennifer would suddenly not marry me because of her father." He studied his cup for a minute, "I just think this whole thing will go so much better if we have his blessing than if we have to fight him."

"Yous want my advice, Mr. H?"

"That's why I asked."

"You need to prove to Mr. Edwards you love his daughter as well as he can."

"But money isn't the issue…"

"I ain't talking money…"

"Then what?"

"Show him you are for real, by showing her how much you care…"

"Ok. Here's what I am thinking, you tell me if I'm on the right track. Because if I'm not, I want time to fix it..."

By 7:30, Jonathan and Max were ready to head to the main house and meet up with Jennifer and her parents for breakfast. They weren't sure how far of a walk it would be. However, that was an aspect they needn't have worried about; no sooner were the men off the front porch of the guest house, then Jonathan's Jag crested the hill and pulled up beside them.

"Good morning, gentlemen," Jennifer called to them as she put the car in park, leaving the motor running. "How did you sleep?"

"Fantastic," Jonathan answered as he walked up to the car door. Putting his hand on the doorframe, he kept her from opening the door or getting out of the car. "I kept dreaming of a gorgeous redhead." He bent down to face her, "Hello, woman of my dreams."

"You are a sweet talker, aren't you," she smiled at him. Turning to include Max, she said, "I hope you are hungry. Walter is making pancakes."

"Blueberry? Blueberries are my favorite." Jonathan walked over to the passenger side door and slid in while Max climbed in the back.

"Yes, I believe there are blueberry ones. Let's go see, shall we?"

They chatted about the various sights as they drove the mile to the main house. Jennifer did most of the talking, informing them of all the areas of the farm, and offering to take them on a horseback tour after breakfast. Max declined, and Jonathan agreed it was on his list of things to do for the day.

As they pulled up to the main house Jonathan was in awe, "You grew up here?"

"Yes. Until I went to high school, which I did at Gresham Hall."

"Wow," was all he could manage. Sudden memories flooding his mind of growing up in the orphanage left him feeling a bit lacking.

Jennifer sensed his insecurity. "You know, Darling," she placed her hand on top of his, "the only real bearing where we grew up has now is that it served to make us who we are." He turned to look in her eyes as she spoke, "Your history can not make me love you less. Nor will it make my parents think less of you."

Searching her eyes and finding only the same love that had been there the day before, he admitted, "I was feeling a bit out of my league, but once again, you amaze me, and I love you." He turned to wink at Max, "Now, I need some pancakes!" The trio exited the car and walked up the stairs and into the front door, where Jennifer's parents greeted them.

"Momma, Papa, this is Jonathan Hart, and his friend Max Brennan. Jonathan, Max, my parents, Stephen and Suzanne Edwards."

"Mr. and Mrs. Edwards. It's very nice to meet you. You have an amazing daughter." Jonathan held out his hand to Stephen, who welcomed it with his own. Turning to Suzanne, he said, "It is obvious where Jennifer's beauty originates."

"Jonathan, my boy, it's very nice to meet you," Stephen managed a smile, then turned to shake Max's hand. "Mr. Brennan..."

"Max."

"Max. Welcome to my home."

"It's a great place. Thank you for letting us crash here."

Suzanne was not going to shake the hand of either of the men. "Enchantée Jonathan," she said as she grabbed him and lightly kissed each cheek. "Enchantée Max," again with the cheeks.

"Enchantée, Mrs. Edwards," Jonathan stammered in response, clearly caught off guard.

She smiled at his attempt to speak her language. Sweet boy. "Je suis Suzanne. Please, Come, come," Suzanne encouraged the group, "The food gets cold while we stand. Come. Bon appétit!"

The conversation through the meal was light and pleasant. Laughter was often heard from the dining room, as the Edwards regaled Jonathan and Max with tales from Jennifer's childhood. Awards won, mishaps, and pranks pulled, to Jennifer's chagrin and Jonathan's delight, nothing seemed to be a taboo topic for her parents. Jonathan also told a few stories of his childhood, and he and Max told of their meeting.

As they were finishing, Jennifer stood to begin clearing some of the dishes, Jonathan leaned over towards Stephen and asked, "Mr. Edwards…"

"Please, Stephen."

"Stephen. If you have a couple of minutes, I would like to talk to you… Alone."

"Of course." He stood and ushered Jonathan out of the room, "Let's adjourn to my study." The two headed out and passed Jennifer as she came back in.

She looked at her mother, unsure if she should be concerned. "Je ne sais pas ma chérie."

"They just met, Momma," she looked toward the empty doorway and back to her mother. "Surely, Papa will go easy on him…" In her mind, she recalled the boys she dated in high school and the stories they told her of their meetings with her father, and she was concerned.

Stephen offered Jonathan cigar, which he turned down, and a drink, which he considered, but also turned down. He wanted to be in boardroom meeting form, not little boy form. Before Stephen could say anything else, and for that matter, before he could even sit down, Jonathan started.

"I know you probably have some well-written speech you like to give the boys you let take Jennifer out for a date. I'm sure it scared the high schoolers who liked your daughter. Before you start into that with me, I want to just lay all the cards on the table." He took a deep breath.

"Your daughter and I had a very crazy 48 hours in London. I'm sure Jennifer will give you all the details you need. But I want to cut to the end of most of that adventure. I needed some way to show your daughter I was very serious and not some fly by night guy just trying to get into her pants…" Jonathan took note of the change of expression on Stephen's face but did not stop. "The only way I could think of making sure she knew I was not just jerking her around, but that I meant every word I said, was to tell her the full truth. She is the only woman I want in my life, and I intend to make her my wife. And I stand by that declaration. I did not mean to overstep my bounds with you. I apologize for not seeking your permission first.

"On the flight over here, I also realized I failed to do one more essential aspect of the whole getting engaged thing. I did not get Jennifer a ring.

"So, here is my suggestion to you, sir. I am formally asking you for your permission to court your daughter with the intention to marry her. I am also formally asking you for your daughter's hand in marriage. My plan is to court her over the next two weeks as if we just met and I was asking her out on the first few dates. And then I will get her a ring and propose all over again. I do not plan on telling Jennifer any of this plan. This will be just between you and me."

Stephen listened to him speak. This young man had plans, alright. And nerve. And strength. And Stephen was beginning to see why Jennifer might have fallen for this one. "And if Jennifer says no this time?"

It was a possibility Jonathan had not considered. "Well, then, Sir, if that is what Jennifer wants, I would have to walk away without her."

"As long as you are willing to walk away if she says no, then you have my blessing to court my daughter. And you have my blessing to ask her to marry you. But if she says no, and you put up a fight, there will be hell to pay."

"Yes, Sir." Jonathan reached across Stephen's desk to shake his hand. "And with that, I need to run into town to finish up some business dealings."

Pulling the Jag into its parking spot, Jonathan took a deep breath as he put the car into park. He removed the keys and opened the door. He reached for his package before he slid out — time to put his plan into motion.

Jonathan knocked on the door of the main house, package in his hands behind his back. Walter answered and let him in. "I'll let Ms. Edwards know you are here, Sir."

"Thank you, Walter." He was surprisingly nervous. When was the last time he was nervous waiting on a woman? When was the last time he waited on a woman like Jennifer Edwards?

"Good afternoon, Jonathan." Jennifer, walking into the room in nothing more than jeans and a sweater, promptly took his breath away. She watched him, a bit slack-jawed at seeing her. Good. She rather enjoyed seeing him a bit off his game.

"Good afternoon, Jennifer." He stammered before he found his smile. "You look lovely."

Dang, that grin! It made her ever so slightly weak in the knees. And when he slid his arm around her waist for a hug, it was her turn to catch her breath. That act filled her nose with his fresh and intoxicating scent. She struggled to find words, frustrating! "Um. You left quickly after breakfast this morning."

"I ran into the office to work on a couple of quick finishing touches to the Kingston Motors project. And," he pulled the package from behind him and handed it to her, "to pick this up."

She took the package from him, "What have we here?"

"Do you remember, as we were riding the Tower Pier boat on the River Thames when I said that wasn't exactly the way I wanted to take you sailing?" She smiled at the memory of that crazy day. He finally figured out her identity, they discovered Brooks' body, and they were trying to get away from that demented man, who had been shooting at them, by cruising the Thames. "And you told me…"

She froze, the package still in her hands, "Yes, I was edgy and snippy. I mean, that man was shooting at us! And, that was before you admitted you believed me…"

He laughed at her squirming then repeated his question, "And you told me…"

"I told you to go fly a kite."

"...To go fly a kite." He grinned at her again, "So, I thought, since we haven't had much of a date yet. I mean, I guess we had that first night in London, Louise, but we've been running since then… Well, maybe this might qualify as a second date then… Anyway, I thought, let's go fly a kite."

She opened the package to find just that, a kite. "Oh, Jonathan. What a fun idea! Oh! I know just the place. Let me tell Dad we will be going out for a bit." She started to leave the room.

"And out for dinner, if you'll join me, Ms. Edwards…"

She turned back to him and smiled, "And out for dinner. I'd like that, Mr. Hart."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It was late when they headed back to the farm, but neither of them was eager to go. Neither wanted the evening to end. It had been a perfect day. Jonathan, eased the Jag on to highway 295, building up to the speed limit. Traffic was nearly nonexistent because of the hour. He shifted the car into fourth gear, and sat back, his arm on the back of the seat.

Jennifer watched him. His handsome features highlighted by the lights of the dash and the light reflected in his eyes made them shine. She was pretty sure she had never been happier.

"Penny for your thoughts?" his voice broke through her speculation.

"Is that all you have?"

He laughed at her, "No."

"Good. I'm sure it's going to cost you more than that to hear all of my thoughts." She smiled coyly at him.

"Of that, I have no doubt."

"Hey!" She playfully punched him.

"Ha! And I will gladly pay…"

"You better…. What's that?" The lights had reflected on something in the median, catching her eye.

As the car drew closer to the object, Jonathan began to slow it down. "Looks like someone dumped a box." He started to speed back up, "The wind must have..." he halted mid-sentence when they both saw more movement. Instinctively Jonathan stopped the Jag. "Did you see that?"

"I think so. Where did it go?"

"I'm not sure…" They watched for a minute before they saw it again. "There."

"Oh… oh my goodness." She was out of the car before he could stop her. She whistled. "Come here, baby… come on. It's alright." He watched her with a fascination. Pretty soon, the little head peeked over the box. "Aren't you sweet? Oh, baby, yes, you are!" In the light of the headlights, the smile she flashed at Jonathan was mesmerizing. "Do you see this little ball of fur?" She called back to him. She picked the little puff up, cradled it in her arms, glanced inside the box, and then she returned to the Jag. "Look at this poor baby!"

"He's a cutie, for sure."

"Someone must have dumped more than just him. There is another in the box who did not survive." She turned to face him, "Darling. We can't leave him here…"

"I agree. Get in." Jennifer opened the door and climbed in with her package. The dog jumped off the seat and crawled under it as Jonathan pulled the Jag back onto the road.

They hadn't gone far when they heard the rustling of the bag in the back. "Oh, no. No. No." Jennifer turned around and leaned into the back, her knees still in front, trying to get the bag from the dog. "Come here, baby!" He growled at her and wriggled back under the seat.

Jonathan worked to avoid being kicked by Jennifer as she was trying to get their dinner leftovers from the puppy. Without thinking, he reached up and used his arm to brace her backside, his hand resting on her natural curves. She stopped moving. "Jonathan?"

"Yes, Darling?"

"Please move your hand."

"Sorry. I didn't want you to fall."

"I'm sure."

He eased the car back off the exit and headed down the back road toward her parent's farm. "Do you need help back there?"

"Not yet. But I hope you didn't plan on eating the rest of your meal. The little one has pulled it back under your seat. I'm afraid if I go after him any more, he will back out and get mixed up with your feet. Not a safe way to drive."

"It's ok, let him have it. I'm sure he's hungrier than I am."

She sat back next to him. "So I guess I haven't asked… are you a dog person or cat."

"I guess I've never really thought about it." He turned to face her, looking into her eyes, he knew what was going to happen. "I'm betting I'm about to become a dog person…"

"Do you mean it? Can we keep him?"

"We can't leave him. Yes, we can keep him. We will have Max have him checked out tomorrow."

"Oh, Darling!" She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "What do you want to call him?"

"I haven't had a real good look at him yet. What about you? Any ideas?"

"Well… How about Freeway?"

Suzanne stood at the stove when Jennifer, already in riding clothes, and hair pulled back, walked into the kitchen. "Bonjour, Jenny."

"Good morning, Momma," she answered with a yawn. "How did you sleep?"

"J'ai bien dormi et toi?" she asked, watching her daughter as she made her way to the table.

"Like a dream, Momma, like a dream." Jennifer watched her mother warm the milk for their coffee. Suzanne hated cold milk in her coffee, and watching her work with such diligence on a small detail like that, made Jennifer smile. It was one of the things she loved about her mother, the attention the elder Edwards lady paid to detail. Jennifer tried to emulate that same attention to detail in her writing. After she poured the first cup of coffee, Suzanne brought it over and set it down in front of her daughter, then placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Merci, Momma."

"Mon plaisir." She quickly fixed her own cup and made her way back to her daughter's side. "So much I want to hear, Jenny! S'il vous plaît, how was your date yesterday with Jonathan?"

Jennifer took a sip, sighed, and looked at her mother. "Oh, Momma. It was…" she looked for the best word to describe the feelings she had, "fantastique. He is nothing short of amazing." She got lost in her thoughts for a moment, "He took a small conversation we had in London, and turned it into one of the most wonderful evenings I've ever had." She laughed lightly, "You remember him saying he grew up in the orphanage?"

"Oui, so heartbreaking."

"It certainly could be. However, Jonathan has such a great attitude about it, and he doesn't let it become an issue." Jennifer took another sip, "When we drove into town to Western Regional park to fly a kite on one of the football fields, it never occurred to me he had never been kite flying before. At first, he wanted to be the one to put it all together, but when he got out the directions, I told him to let me help, and as I put it together, we started talking about things he's never done simply because of the way he grew up." Jennifer set her cup down and faced her mother. "Momma, he's never ridden a horse!"

"Not too many in an orphanage in the middle of a city, mon chérie."

"No, I suppose there isn't." She stood up and made her way to the cupboards, and began pulling out the makings of sandwiches.

"You take him today?" Suzanne asked, indicating her clothing choice.

"Oui." She looked at her mother over the counter, bread in one hand, knife in the other, "We had planned to yesterday, but he ended up going to the office instead. However, he wants to learn, and I like the idea of being able to teach him."

"C'est bon, Jenny." Suzanne took a sip of the warmth in her cup, "And Papa tells me he interrupted you a bit…"

Jennifer could feel her face blush, "Oui, Momma." She packaged the finished sandwich. "Jonathan walked me to the door last night. He started telling me he had a great time. When we got to the top step, he pulled me close to him and suddenly..." she started giggling at the image in her mind. "He started floundering"

Her mother stopped her, "Floundering? Qu'est-ce que c'est?"

"Bégaiement. He kept losing his train of thought, stumbling over words, nothing he said came out as he intended. He was acting so shy, which he never had before. It was adorable. It wasn't until Jonathan finally kissed me, and Papa cleared his throat that I knew he was standing behind the door watching! I think Pa thought we were taking too long to get out of the car."

Suzanne laughed with her daughter, "Pauvre bébé."

"Oui, poor Jonathan!"

"Did I hear my name?" He smiled as he stepped into the room.

"Jonathan!" Jennifer greeted him with a hug. "I did not hear the front door open."

"Don't you look cute this morning?" He welcomed her with his arms.

"Oh, thank you very much. Coffee?"

"That'd be great." While Jennifer poured him a cup, Jonathan turned his attention to her mother, "Good morning, Suzanne."

"Oui! Bonjour, Jonathan! Are you ready for today's adventure?"

"Absolutely." He grinned and winked at Jennifer, "I'm always up for a good adventure. Will you be joining up, Suzanne."

She giggled, "Oh, wouldn't that be fun?" She turned to her daughter, "Momma, as a chaperone for my Jenny?"

"Papa would be happy…" Jennifer quipped, and she and her mother giggled at the image.

"Merci, Jonathan, but no. Stephen and I have an appointment in town that we must attend today." She turned to her daughter, "What will Monsieur Max be doing today?"

Jonathan answered, "Max took the Jag into town. He was going to check in with Leonard, see a vet and run some paperwork in for me. Kingston Motors needs a couple of things from me."

"Oh?" Jennifer questioned. "Do you need to skip this morning?"

"No, Darling. I took care of everything last night, and Max is running it all into the office for Harry to finish it up. I am all yours for the rest of the day."

"Fantastic! What do you think, Momma? Should I take him to the backside of the lake? Or up in the mountain?" Turning back to Jonathan, "On a clear day, you can see the Chesapeake Bay from there."

"Oh, Chérie, you know the mountains are my favorite place to ride."

"It sounds amazing," Jonathan said, not taking his eyes off Jennifer. "A sight not to be missed, I'm sure."

"Without a doubt." Jennifer grinned back at him.

"And you will be back for dinner?" Suzanne spoke up. "I look forward to tonight. The four of us, no?"

Jennifer quickly swallowed the sip of coffee she had just taken, "Oui, Momma. We will be back in time, and are looking forward to Walter's steaks."

"Excellent!"

Picking up the bag now full of sandwiches, Jennifer kissed her mother's cheek, "Tonight then. Shall we venture, Jonathan?"

"Lead the way, Darling." He, too, leaned over and kissed the cheeks of Suzanne Edwards, "Have a great day."

"Oui, mes chéris. Au Revoir!"

The two horse and rider combinations crested the top of the mountain about 90 minutes later. The view was one of the most breathtaking Jonathan had ever seen. Green, hilly, and lush everywhere he looked until his eyes landed on the redhead to his right. This one became one with the horse the moment she mounted the saddle. Until that moment, he didn't know how elegant riding a horse could be, but there was no other word for her. Elegant in everything, watching her was like watching a painting in motion. He watched as she dismounted, lead her steed towards the little stream, and dropped the reins to let him drink.

"What a view. What do you think, Darling?" Jennifer asked him.

"Breathtaking. Beautiful. Exquisite. Lovely. Absolutely gorgeous. And I don't mean the view." Jonathan also dismounted and followed her moves. Then he walked up behind Jennifer. He slid his arm around her shoulder and pulled her body into his.

She responded by resting her head on his shoulder. "You really are very kind, Mr. Hart."

"I mean every word." She turned around and wrapped both arms around his waist. "You, Jennifer Edwards, are…"

She reached up with her finger and placed it on his lips. "Shush. You will give me a big head!" Instead of continuing, he leaned in and kissed her. Deeply.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Dinner with her parents had gone amazingly smooth. Stephen and Suzanne were gracious hosts, and Walter, a fantastic cook. And playing cards with them after provided great insight to the family for Jonathan. Especially when Suzanne had a little too much champagne. The stories she could tell about her little Jenny had them all in tears from laughter.

After, Jonathan and Jennifer went to Stephen's study for a little while. Jennifer started a fire, and he sat on the floor in front of it, when it was going strong, she laid on the floor beside him. Jonathan found himself mesmerized by all the books. "Has your dad read all of the books in here?"

Jennifer let out a gentle laugh, "Yes. He reads constantly. He likes to say books are words sung in the key of imagination." She played with the fibers of the rug around his hand, "I suppose that's one of the things that drove me to write. I love how words and imagination go hand and hand." He reached his hand over to hers.

"You have fabulously soft hands," he said as he traced her fingers. He picked her hand up and kissed the back of it. "They are gorgeous."

She smiled as she watched him, the gold flecks of color in her eyes reflecting the firelight. "And you have a way with words." He leaned down and kissed her. "You are stirring my imagination…" He kissed her again. "And lighting my fire, Mr. Hart."

"And I don't want to leave you, Ms. Edwards."

"Then don't."

"I fear I must. It's getting late."

"Ugh. I don't like feeling like a high schooler!"

"I know. But soon."

Jonathan knew he didn't want to leave Jennifer's side. Kissing her goodnight was quickly becoming not enough. He didn't know if it was the fact they didn't have much time alone, or if it was that he had made up his mind; she was his, and he wanted all of her.

Walking back to the guest house, Jonathan hoped Max had been able to accomplish all he had set out for him to do today. He was ready to step up the timeline. The reality was, he could to go before a judge and marry this woman right now, though he was pretty sure that would not get him in good with the in-laws.

Jonathan opened the door to the guest house to a fuzzy ball of boundless energy. "I was just about to take him out for a walk before bed," Max told him.

"I can do it." Jonathan offered. "Were you able to pick up the packages?"

"They are on the counter in the kitchen."

"Did you see them?" Max, cigar in his mouth, shook his head to indicate he had. "And?"

"Perfect." He looked the younger man over, removed the cigar, and added, "But I ain't the one who gets to make that call."

After Jonathan left, Jennifer had a cup of tea with her mother in the living room before she headed to bed.

"Jennifer, Darling," Stephen called to his daughter as she walked past his study door.

"Yes, Pa?" she stopped to answer him, looking into the room. Jennifer always loved this room. The extensive library was full of fascinating stories and facts, and the books gave a very earthy scent to the office. Additionally, warmth from the roaring fire behind his desk, and the smell of his pipe burning evoked content emotions within Jennifer. She considered this the coziest room in the house. How many nights had they spent here as a family? Momma and Pa seated in the overstuffed chairs reading their novels and Jenny on the rug in between them, books strung out in front of the fire.

"Come here, Darling." apprehension built as she walked across the room to where he sat. Stephen had several photos strewn over the top of his desk. Sitting back in his chair, trying to light his pipe, he watched his daughter for a bit before speaking again. "Tell me, what all do you know about this man you are spending so much time with?"

Jennifer studied her father, trying to figure out just where he was coming from, and for that matter, where he intended to move this conversation. She sat in the chair across from him, the desk between them, and decided to ask. "What are you doing, Pa?"

"What am I doing? My dear, that is what I am trying to figure out from your end. What are you doing?"

"Oh, that's easy." She made eye contact with her father and held it. She didn't want to be disrespectful, but he needed to know she was not backing down on this one. "I have started a hobby I intend to spend the rest of my life doing."

"And what hobby would that be?"

"Getting to know my husband, Jonathan Hart."

"Husband? You are not yet married." He leaned forward, "Regardless, what, child, have you learned?"

She sat back and contemplated his question for a few minutes. What had she learned about him over the last four days? "In the last several days, I have learned Jonathan Hart looks out for those less fortunate and helps those who can not help themselves. I know he has a beautifully positive outlook on most issues presented to him. I know Jonathan Hart is a seeker of justice, in every sense of the word. I know he is incredibly romantic and an excellent kisser…" she giggled at her admission.

"Jennifer…"

"It's true, Pa."

"Good in bed?"

Jennifer felt her face flush, "I'm sure I wouldn't know, Pa. Yet."

Stephen grabbed the pictures from the desk, "I bet these girls know the answer. There seems to be a different girl every week." Jennifer didn't know if she should be angry or laugh. She stood up, walked around the desk, and knelt in front of him.

"I love you, Papa. You will always be the first man in my life." She reached up and took the stack from his hand, then stood, turned, and tossed them in the fireplace behind her. "However, Jonathan Hart now has my heart, and I have his. What is in the past is in the past. Ours is a future, together."

His frustration and anger got the best of him. "I don't want you just tossed aside like garbage when he decides he's finished with you. I can not watch…" he stopped short. He was not going to finish that sentence.

"Watch what, Pa? Watch me go through it again?" Jennifer finished it for him. "Watch me make a bad decision again?" Making her way to bed, Suzanne stopped and stepped into the room. Jennifer didn't notice. She continued to react to Stephen's insinuation. "Like Elliot? Is that what you think this is? Let me tell you something, Pa. Jonathan Hart is light years ahead of Elliot Manning. Everything Jonathan does is to encourage me to be who I am. Elliot wanted me because I look good. Jonathan wants me because I am intelligent; he talks to me like I am a real person, not just a pretty face." She felt her mother's arm around her shoulders, and she looked between her parents. Jennifer took a deep breath, trying to muzzle her anger, "Sometimes relationships go bad. It's a risk you take when you open yourself up to love someone. But it's a risk I'm willing to take. Jonathan is worth the risk. The reality is Pa, one of the things I am most drawn to Jonathan by is the fact he treats me like I have seen you treat Momma. Something Elliot never did."

With those words, she turned and left the room.

When Freeway finished outside, they made their way back to the guest house, Jonathan lost in thought as they walked. He was contemplating all the ways he could finally make the engagement official but had not found the right one yet. He wanted perfection. The Edwards' home was ripe with possibilities: after dinner with her parents, by the lake, in the mountains. For that matter, he could merely hand her the box and move on. He was already ready to move on.

He just wanted to marry her and have her living in the same house with him. Always.

As much as he wanted to skip ahead to being married, he also wanted to make everything magical for Jennifer. This woman was worth the perfection of taking his time to make everything right.

Inside the guesthouse, Jonathan made his way to the counter, where the two boxes sat. He picked up the longer one and opened it. The emerald and diamond bracelet and earring set he had picked out for her was inside. Jonathan couldn't wait to see them on her. Maybe with a black evening gown. He made a mental note to look for one for her. Taking her out on the town and showing her off will be amazing. He did need to decide if he wanted to do so in New York? Or LA? Back in London? Oh, Italy would be fun. Maybe he should just start here in DC… Who was he kidding? He wanted to do them all.

He closed the box, set it down, and picked up the smaller one. This is the one he had been anticipating. This box is why he went into town. He lifted the lid to see how it had come together.

Inside were the three rings he had expected. The first was an engagement ring, Jonathan had worked with a jeweler to design one just for her. The guy had stayed late last night to put it all together. And it was stunning. The largest stone was a 3-carat flawless clear diamond, set in a white gold infinity band, with one band of channel-set diamonds. It was the largest flawless they had on hand, and he didn't want to wait for anything more significant, a larger diamond would have to come later. The second was also a matching wedding band for her. The third ring would be his, a more subdued masculine take on the infinity, almost more of a twist.

Now for the right moment.

Jennifer was lying on her bed when there was a knock on the door. "Yes?"

"Ma chérie?" Suzanne called as she opened the door.

"Oui, Momma. Come in."

Suzanne walked in, shutting the door behind her. "Ça va, Jenny?"

"Oui."

"Your Papa loves you."

"I know, Momma." She reached her hand out to her mother, "Sometimes, it just seems he has a funny way of showing it."

"He doesn't want you hurt, chéri."

"And yet, in trying to protect, he is the one doing the hurting."

Suzanne nodded her head, "He would rather hurt you with the truth than you hurt from another's lies."

"But, Momma, Jonathan isn't lying to me." She lowered her voice as she thought about what she was saying, "And I think that it hurts more Pa doesn't trust my judgment."

"No, no… It is not you Papa doesn't trust…"

"But don't you see, Momma," Jennifer searched her mother's eyes, "In not trusting Jonathan, he's not trusting my judgment of Jonathan. He's afraid I didn't learn well enough from the last mistake. But I did, Momma. Can you not see Jonathan is different?"

"How can I, chéri? I was not allowed to meet the last one."

Jennifer chuckled a little at her mother's observation, "And that alone should tell you something. Elliot was not worth introducing to you. But Jonathan," she paused as she thought about him. "Jonathan is everything. I want you to love him as much as I do."

"Oui. And we like him." She smiled at her daughter, "Beaucoup." She studied her daughter's beautiful face, looking for a way to ease Jennifer's questions, "He is every bit as charming and thoughtful as you have said."

"Then why the theatrics with Papa tonight?"

"He just needed to know that you have all the facts before you make such a decision."

"I have all the facts I need. I love him."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The next morning came early. Earlier than it should have. He opened his eyes to find it was still dark. Why wasn't the sun up yet? Why did that damn phone keep ringing? Jonathan heard Max answer from the kitchen, then make his way to Jonathan's room and knock on the door.

"Yeah, Max?" he groggily answered.

"Sorry to bother you, Mr. H. Stanley Friesen is on the phone for you."

"What time is it, Max?"

"It's 3 am."

"Why is Stanley calling me at 3 in the morning?"

"He won't tell me."

Jonathan pushed back the covers and slid his feet into his slippers, mumbling as he made his way to the kitchen phone, "This had better be good…" Picking the receiver up from the counter where Max had laid it, Jonathan answered, "Stanley, you know it's 3 am here, right?"

"Yes, Sir, Mr. Hart. I'm very sorry, Sir. I didn't know who else to turn. I'm sorry to be bothering you on vacation. I can't see any way around this."

"Around what, Stanley?"

"The numbers, Sir."

"What numbers?"

"It looks like the Hart Art Restoration and Conservation division is missing 1.5 million dollars, Sir."

"Missing? How does one lose 1.5 million, Stanley?"

Stanley hesitated. Thoughts running through his mind created discord between his nerves and stomach. Having to tell Jonathan Hart anything was amiss with this company made him break out in a cold sweat. Taking a handkerchief from his pocket and wiping his brow, he answered, "It looks like embezzlement, Sir."

***

As Jennifer walked into the kitchen, both of her parents were sitting at the breakfast table. The smell of coffee and french toast were a welcome greeting. "It smells amazing in here." She looked from her mother, sitting at the table, to her father standing at the stove, then back to her mother. "Did I miss something? What's the occasion? I mean, Papa's French toast… That's a real treat!"

"My daughter's home, does there need to be another reason?" her father quipped.

"Stephen," Suzanne frowned at him.

He winced at the sound of her voice. "Oui, Suzanne. You are correct. Jennifer," Stephen stepped out from the stove and walked to his daughter. "Darling. Please forgive a stupid, stubborn old man. My behavior last night was unacceptable."

"Oh, Pa." She threw her arms around her father. "I love you. I understood your heart." She kissed his cheek. "You are forgiven."

"You are very gracious. Like your mother. I, on the other hand, struggle with giving grace." He moved her towards the table, "Jonathan deserves a chance, and I have not given him one. So, I am making you a promise to do much better." He winked at his wife, "Though I still don't like the idea of him taking my only daughter to California."

"California." Jennifer looked toward her mother and laughed, "How is that even possible?" Turning around towards her father, who had gone back to check his toast, "Sun, palm trees and beaches do sound like pretty amazing sights to see." And almost under her breath, "And he's an amazing sight, too."

"Oui, Chéri, he is." Suzanne smiled at her daughter as she stood from her chair. "Shall we take breakfast out on the terrace?"

"Oui, Momma, ce serait adorable."

As they stepped out, Jennifer could hear the Jag coming up the road. "Momma," she called back to Suzanne, who was still in the kitchen, "I think we need another place setting or two." The car stopped, and only one door shut. Maybe it would just be Jonathan this morning. She turned to greet him at the front door and was stopped by her mother, who handed her an extra place setting. Without arguing, she walked back and set the table.

Jonathan stepped outside before she finished putting the place setting on the table. "Good morning…" She looked up to see him. He wore his jeans and a white button-down that was only partially buttoned. His hair was a bit disheveled, and she wasn't entirely sure he had slept. "Darling? Is everything ok?"

"Jennifer, sweetheart," he searched for the words he needed to say. "I hate to cut this short."

"What?'

"Please, sit down…" He ushered her to a chair and proceeded to pace the terrace. "I have to get back to California… today." He could see the questions running through her mind, "I don't like it. However, I have had some unavoidable issues come up. If I could think of any way out of it, I would do it in a heartbeat. I've been up most of the night going over some things with one of my guys out there, and he's right, I need to get back and deal with this first hand."

"I'll just go with you." She stood, intending to pack her bag.

"Wait." He grabbed her hand and pulled her to a stop. She turned to face him. "I want you to stay here."

Stephen and Suzanne stepped out onto the terrace, "French Toast is hot," Stephen announced, not realizing the seriousness of the conversation that was taking place.

"Jonathan…" she started to protest, completely ignoring her father as he placed the plate on the table. Jonathan pulled her into his body and kissed her. Hard.

"I want to make a deal with you," he said breathlessly. "I want you to stay here, and let me go on without you."

"Why? What's in it for me?"

"You have a wedding to plan." He grinned at her, "And I don't want to be out there long without you."

"If you let me go pack, you wouldn't have to be out there without me at all," she retorted, a bit annoyed with his theatrics.

He looked at Suzanne as if he was asking for her support in the matter. He winked at her, "I am guessing your Mother would like to help shop for dresses and make all the arrangements."

Jennifer turned, looked at her mother, and smiled. "Oui, mother-daughter time. That does sound like fun." She turned back to Jonathan, "But that doesn't mean I like this idea."

"I don't like this idea either. However, that leaves me with just a couple of dilemmas."

"Oh? And what would those be?"

"First I can not leave without making something crystal clear, and it seems I have to do it on the fly, which does not make me happy. Mistakes happen when you fly off the cuff all the time."

"Jonathan. What are you talking about?"

"Well, the last time I did this, I was in such a hurry, I forgot a couple of critical pieces. I want to get them right this time." He grinned at her and took her hands in his. "Before I go, I need to make sure you know that you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. You are the sunlight in my morning. You are the starlight in my night. You are irreplaceable, and my life would be incomplete without you. Meeting you has brought a freshness and an adventure to my life I never knew existed. I need to make sure you know I am completely in love with you," He knelt on one knee and presented her with the ring, "Jennifer Edwards, will you marry me?"

"Jonathan," she whispered and appeared to be completely speechless. The ring was gorgeous. Breathtaking. Perfect. "Yes. Yes, I will marry you!" He slid the ring onto her finger, and she was impressed by him again. "It's a perfect fit. You are nothing short of amazing, Mr. Hart." He stood up, gathered her in his arms, and kissed her.

"Next, I want you to know; I had planned a date for today. My plans included giving these to you," Jonathan took a box from his back pocket. "I wanted to take you out to dinner, and have you wear them," he opened it to show her the emerald and diamond set.

"Jonathan…"

"I guess now we'll call them an engagement gift."

"And I didn't get you anything…" she grinned at him. He could get lost in that smile. And those eyes. "They are beautiful. Thank you, Darling."

"I'm so sorry I have to leave, Darling," he said as he moved to help her sit back down. "That brings me to my second dilemma…" He turned to Stephen, "I would love to have you go to California with me. I need some fresh eyes on some issues at Hart Industries."

Jennifer and Suzanne looked between Jonathan and Stephen. "I don't know how much help I can be, but I would love to go with you."

***

The two ladies drove with the three men and Freeway to the airport, to see the guys off, and bring the Jag back to the house.

As Max and Leonard loaded the plane, Jonathan grabbed Jennifer and held her tight. "We didn't have time to talk about dates or details. I wish we had more time this week. However, I promise to call you every night."

"I know. Soon, we will make this all happen as soon as possible." She paused for a minute, thinking, then asked, "How far in advance do you need to be able to schedule the time for a wedding? I don't want to plan a June wedding if you need longer than four weeks. I know that I need to give the Times a good four weeks notice when I won't be able to take any assignments. I can only imagine being the boss makes that lead time bigger."

He laughed, "Yeah, four weeks might throw the office off-kilter." Let's look at dates in August and September."

"Alright. Mom and I will go over our calendars and have some dates for you to look at when you call me tonight."

"That sounds perfect." He kissed her again. "I love you, Jennifer Edwards."

"I love you, Jonathan Hart."

"We are all ready to go, Mr. Hart," Leonard called to him.

Stephen gathered his wife in his arms, and she said, "Tu vas me manquer, mon amour."

"And I will also miss you."

"You are doing a good thing for our Jenny. Merci."

"Yes, this will be good for us. All of us." He kissed her. "Thank you for keeping me in line."

"J'aime ma chérie."

"I love you."

Jonathan turned to face the older gentleman, "Are you ready, Stephen?" He stepped over to Suzanne and hugged her, "I'll have him back soon."

"I believe so, Jonathan." Stephen turned to his daughter, "Jennifer, I will see you when we get back. I promise to keep Jonathan out of trouble."

"Pa!" she laughed at his insinuation. "Both of you hurry back." The two men boarded the plane where Max and Freeway were waiting on them. Leonard shut the doors and began to taxi the aircraft to the runway. When the voice in his ear gave the all-clear, they headed down the strip and were gone, leaving Jennifer and Suzanne watching until the plane was out of sight.

Jennifer sighed. "Well, Momma. I guess we have some things to do."

"Oui, chéri." She opened the passenger door to the Jag. "I know just the shop we need to start in."

"Great! Where are we headed?"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

During the flight, Jonathan and Stephen sat at the same table he and Jennifer had eaten dinner just a few days before. Jonathan worked on catching Stephen up on the details as he knew them. With Stephen's history as an art dealer, Jonathan figured he would be a tremendous help in untangling the mess that Warren Keller and Stanley Friesen discovered.

"Warren Keller is one of our restoration experts on staff. Actually," Jonathan began sidetracking himself, "As a matter of fact, Warren is an artist in his own right. Maybe we will have time for you to look at his work, too, while we are here." He took a drink of his coffee and came back to his original point, "Anyway, Warren began looking at some invoices and noticed some small discrepancies. He took those to Stanley, one of our financial experts, and the two of them started digging."

"Is it all in the finances?" Stephen asked, still trying to pinpoint his role in helping Jonathan.

"Well, it looks like someone might be purchasing some forgery or inferior quality replicas. I'm counting on you to be able to help me in that department."

He was also counting on the time alone with Stephen helping to build respect and maybe even trust between the two men. After all, they both loved the same woman, though for very different reasons. They both wanted to protect her from any harm. Jonathan just needed to prove to Stephen that he was not going to bring her harm, ever.

"I do have one other reason for bringing you to California, Stephen," Jonathan confided. "One, I have not discussed it with Jennifer yet."

"An alternative motive?" Stephen questioned him.

"Maybe more ulterior." Stephen raised his eyebrows at Jonathan but didn't say anything. Jonathan continued, "For sure, I want your help on this art fiasco. However, I also want to purchase a house for Jennifer and me to move into when we come back from our honeymoon. I want to give it to her as a wedding gift. And I figure you would know what she would like, and would be able to help me with some of the more detailed aspects of weeding out what will not work for her."

Stephen contemplated his suggestion. The idea of knowing where his little girl would be living once she married Jonathan did have some appeal to it. And the humbleness of this man was all at once, shocking and refreshing. For the owner of such a large company, Jonathan was not afraid to get help from those who may know a little better than he did. Of all the men Stephen had worked with over his many years, this one had the least ego he'd ever seen. Himself included, truth be told. "I would be honored to help you."

"Excellent." Jonathan looked at his watch. "We land in about an hour. With the time change, that will make it 12:30 LA time. We will send Max to the condo with our bags, and we will go directly to the office to talk with Stanley. We can grab lunch on the way. The sooner we can get this mess straightened out, the sooner we can get back to those two gorgeous redheads."

"That sounds like a magnificent plan, Jonathan."

***

After making their way through three different shops and trying on about a dozen dresses, Jennifer and Suzanne stopped for a quick lunch before going into their final stop of the day.

After they ordered, Jennifer pulled out a small calendar she kept in her purse. "Let's look at August and September dates, shall we?" She grinned at her mother.

"Oui, chéri. What do you have open?"

"I am pretty much free right now, since all my freelance work is assigned as needed, and no one knows that far in advance if they will need me." She flipped through the dates. "Do you know of anything on your or Pa's calendar right now?"

"Oui, Papa is supposed to be in Cairo for the first three weeks of August."

"That takes off the 7th, 14th, and 21st. Plus, we will scratch September 11, as that's too close to your birthday."

"Oh, Jenny, don't let me mess up a date you want to use."

"What? I don't want to be in the middle of dress rehearsal and decorating on your birthday, Momma."

"C'est bon, chéri. I would survive, Jenny."

"I know." She smiled and patted her mother's hand. "I just want to celebrate you without worrying if the flowers are going to be delivered on time." She looked back at the calendar, making notes, "So that leaves us with either August 28, September 4, 18 or 25. That sounds like a good list to be able to give to Jonathan, don't you think?"

"Oui, that sounds like a great start."

***

Warren and Stanley met Jonathan and Stephen in Jonathan's office. When they walked in, they were a little overwhelmed by all the stacks of paperwork everywhere they looked.

"What do we have here?" Jonathan asked.

"Well, Mr. Hart, over here, we have the purchase orders for the tools needed for both the conservation and restoration of the art." He headed across the room, "And here we have the list of actual prices from the companies we purchase those tools from."

"How far back did you have to go?"

"Well, as you know, Mr. Hart, that division has only been open for the last five years."

"And?"

"And I went back all five years." Stanley headed towards another stack, "And these here are all the pieces we have worked on, plus who owns them."

"So, give me the short version," Jonathan requested.

"The short version," Warren stepped into the conversation, "is that over the last five years, someone has been simultaneously padding the amount companies charge us and overcharging our customers."

"And the fake works?"

"Ah, that seems to be a newer venture, only going back the last couple years. It seems people have come looking for specific, hard to find pieces, and being sold replicas at 1.5 times the price listed in our accounts receivable."

"How much are we talking?"

"About five million."

***

After lunch, Jennifer and Suzanne decided to head back to the Jaguar and work their way out of the city. They wanted to be back at the house by dinner. It was as they were walking back to the car they saw the little shop.

"How did we miss this one, Momma?"

"I think the hunger impaired our vision, chérie."

"You may be right," she laughed.

A little bell rang out as they opened the door, signaling their arrival to anyone listening. There were fewer dresses in this shop than previous ones they had meandered. However, they were also more unique and chic than the typical off the rack selection they found.

The mannequin in the back right of the store caught her eye. It was wearing an elegant white silk long sleeve floor length dress with an empire waistline, a high lace neckline that flowed to the shoulders giving a nude illusion through floral lace appliqués, which was embellished the upper bodice. The train extended several feet in the back.

"C'est parfait, Jenny." Her mother's gaze had followed her own. "You simply must try it on."

"You think so, Momma?"

"Oui!"

From behind them, a voice asked, "May I help you?"

***

Jonathan and Stephen were sitting in his living room; papers strung all over the coffee table and floor. They had put aside the art issues for the evening and were looking at several properties around Los Angeles. Max had taken Freeway out for his bedtime walk. Jonathan glanced at the clock on the wall.

"Shoot. It's 8. That means it's 10 in Maryland. I need to call Jennifer. Excuse me, Stephen. I'll be right back."

"Tell her hello from me. And tell my wife I'll call her in the morning."

"Will do," Jonathan called as he bounded up the stairs. He walked into his bedroom and shut the door behind him. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he pulled out his wallet. Before they left the house that morning, Jennifer wrote down some numbers he would need on a notecard, including her New York apartment and her parents' home. He pulled it out from his wallet. Just seeing her handwriting and the little double heart she drew on it made him smile, and catching the faint scent of her fragrance lingering on the card made his chest tighten ever so slightly.

As the phone began to ring, he kicked his shoes off beside the bed, and turned around, bringing his feet onto the bed and laying back.

"Hello? Chez Edwards." Suzanne's unmistakable voice greeted him.

"Hello, Suzanne. This is Jonathan Hart. Is your beautiful daughter available to come to the phone?"

"Oui, Jonathan! So good to hear from you! Let me get her for you."

"Merci!" Once again, Suzanne giggled at his very American attempt at her language.

"I have it, Momma, merci. Hello, Jonathan?"

"Hi, gorgeous. I miss you."

She smiled, "I miss you, too. How are things going?"

"We have a bunch of evidence and have narrowed our suspect pool to three. I think I have things to a point I can almost take them to my buddy at the police department tomorrow. Your father and I want to run down just a couple of loose ends first."

"That's fantastic. Does that mean you will head back tomorrow?"

"It will probably be a couple more days. I don't think I can take being away from you longer than that. We will wrap it up as fast as we can."

"I'm so glad. Hey, do you have your calendar handy?"

"I was just sitting here, thinking about you and rubbing oil on my rock hard…"

"Jonathan…"

"Abs…"

"Honestly," she tried to sound indignant, but her giggle gave her away. "You could just say no."

"Where's the fun in that?" He loved to hear her laugh, though he would much rather see that beautiful smile in person.

"I need you to look at some dates for me. I have four that might work."

"What are they?" He grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down the dates as she read them to him. Then he circled September 25 as he told her, "Off the top of my head, I'm going to guess the 25th will work the best. The next question is location…"

"Location?"

"Seems to me, we have people in New York, Maryland, and Los Angeles to consider."

"Actually, probably more like world wide. Since we are going to be living in LA, I'm going to suggest we find a location there."

"Lady, I like your style. LA on the 25th. Sounds like a date to me."

"Oh, Jonathan, I'm so very thrilled."

"I might know a great church. I will call them in the morning."

***

The next morning the two men met Warren at his office. As Jonathan and Warren were discussing several things, Stephen meandered around, studying the art. Most of them were in various stages of restoration. In one corner, he found some pieces he could not tell who the artist was. It was unique and fresh without being overstated or tacky. "Are these pieces done by a recent artist?"

"Oh, he's pretty new, for sure," Jonathan answered.

"He's got a fantastic style. Has he had many shows?"

"No. As I said, he's pretty new."

"Who is he? Can I talk to him?"

"Sure. You can talk to him as much as you like. As a matter of fact, you've been with him all morning." Jonathan nodded his head toward Warren, who waved his hand at Stephen.

"My boy, I have a couple of galleries I want to set you up in. Do you have enough pieces completed to do a show?"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Hello?"

Sitting in her father's study, Jennifer was trying to clear her calendar for the next several months. She wanted to let people know what was going on. One of those people was one of the publishers she worked with over the years. "Andrew Thomas! It's Jennifer Edwards."

"Jennifer! It's so good to hear from you. I have you on my list to call this week. What do you have going on right now? I have a couple of new pieces I need to have written, and I think you would be perfect for them."

"Actually, that's why I called. I wanted to let you know I will be a bit unreachable for the next few months. No running off to the rainforest or Africa for me right now."

"The next few months? Jennifer, what on earth is going on? Is that blasted Times confiscating all of your time? You know you have more talent than those little articles they make you do!"

"No, no. Nothing like that, Andrew." She could feel herself grinning from ear to ear as she said the words, "Actually, I am planning a wedding."

He remained incredulous, "That's not much of a story. Who are you doing that for?"

Jennifer sighed. She was probably going to be getting this response often over the next few months. "Me, Andrew. I'm the one getting married. I am planning my wedding."

Long pause. "I'm sorry, Jennifer. It's…" he paused again. "I didn't even know you were dating, my dear."

Laughing now, Jennifer answered, "No, you didn't. This whole thing has been a bit of a whirlwind. I'll have to fill you in on the details next time we have lunch."

Andrew's big brother's love for Jennifer kicked in. He sure didn't want anyone hurting her or using her. "A whirlwind? You know those kinds of things are fun for a while, but they seldom last. Who is this guy."

"Well, I think this one will last," she was a bit annoyed at the thought of having to explain herself to everyone she talked to about her wedding. Granted, even she hadn't planned to be the type to get married, but why did the idea surprise everyone else? "You have probably heard of him; he's a well-known businessman named Jonathan Hart."

This time it was Andrew's turn to laugh. "Are you kidding me? I know Jonathan very well. Actually, I should have seen that sooner. I bet you two would get along well."

"I didn't know you knew each other."

"You know that article you did for me a couple of months ago? The one on the environmental solutions to saving the rainforest…"

"Yes, of course."

"Hart Industries was one of the largest supporters to that trip."

"What?" She shook her head. Jonathan Hart had his hand in just about everything it seemed. "That's fantastic, Andrew. I can't wait to tell him."

"He's a great guy, Jennifer. I am so excited for both of you."

"Thank you, Andrew. Now, put it on your calendar, September 25, in Los Angeles. We will expect you to be there!"

"I wouldn't miss it!"

"I'm so glad. I'll get you an invitation as soon as we have them back from the printer. Talk to you soon!"

***

The morning had been full of nice houses. Some of them were lovely places. Charming, even. However, Stephen seemed to agree with Jonathan that not one of them had felt like home. They had one more for today, and then they were going to meet Max for lunch before going into the office.

Stephen was telling him about the house as they drove up the road. "This house was built in the 1920s. The designing architect was Lawrence Freeman himself. Well, that says much for the house."

"Lawrence Freeman. That's outstanding credentials. I'll give it this for sure," Jonathan said as they were driving up the tree-lined drive, "The drive-in is fantastic." They pulled up to a ranch-style brick home, parked beside the realtor's car, and got out of Jonathan's 1962 Bentley S3 custom convertible. "This has a rather homey feel."

"I agree," Stephen said, looking around at the area. "Shall we go in and see the interior?"

***

Warren continued working, leaving Stanley in the office to go through all the numbers once again. His goal was to figure out the amount of missing money. They hoped that would help narrow down their list of who instigated the mess they were now cleaning up.

As Warren began cleaning one of the paintings they had just received, he noticed an oddity he felt he needed to talk to Jonathan and Stephen about. He called Jonathan's office and left a message.

"What' cha got there, Keller?" Richard asked Warren as he hung up the phone.

"It's a woman's portrait by Davis Morrison." He answered, looking over his easel.

"Wasn't that one stolen?" Zack asked from the table behind Warren.

"Yes. In '69, from a café in Sicily. They found it, along with several others, in Serbia last month. It just arrived here last week."

"What else was in that shipment?" Richard asked.

"Several." Wondering if he could trust either man, Warren didn't want to give much information out. "I'll have to look closer."

***

Hoping to finish the day with this call, Jennifer placed the receiver in the cradle. The phone rang almost as soon as she hung it up. She considered not answering it for a moment before picking it back up and placing the warm plastic against her ear, "Edwards residents."

"That's about the sexiest thing I've heard all day."

"Jonathan! Oh, I'm so glad to hear your voice. How has your day been? Find anything else today?"

"Nothing concrete yet. Your father and I will be headed over to the restoration area in a few minutes. I just wanted to hear your voice first."

"I'm so glad you called! Hey, I learned something about you today."

"Oh? I'm sure it's only partially true…"

Jennifer giggled, "I'm sure it's all true. I was talking to one of my publishers. It turns out you have already been a supporter of mine."

"How's that?"

"Apparently, you helped fund my trip to the rainforest a few months back. Andrew…"

"Wait… Andrew Thomas? I thought you work for the Times."

"I do. I freelance for them. Which means I can also freelance for Andrew Thomas."

"That's great. You know, I think I just saw a package in my mail from him the other day. I bet that has a copy of your story in it. He's pretty good about sending the final copies to me."

"I bet it does. It was just published last week."

"Ha. Andrew Thomas. That's wonderful." He smiled, "I know what I'm going to be reading tonight."

***

Stephen looked over the painting Warren showed him. Everyone else had gone home for the day, but Warren had asked Jonathan and Stephen to come right before then so they would be the only ones in the room.

"Do you see this?" Warren knew he was asking a lot of the men. It was hardly noticeable to the naked eye. Especially an untrained eye. Stephen spotted it first.

"Is that a cut?" he asked.

"Yes. A tiny one. The thing I find odd is that these canvas fibers are frayed; however, the cut is not on the backside."

"That almost looks like there is something under there," Stephen suggested.

"Take it apart," Jonathan suggested.

"If it's truly antique, taking it off the stretchers could damage the painting," Warren warned him.

"I know. I'll be the one responsible if something happens to it. We need to see what's under there."

"I know a guy at the Getty. Maybe we should contact him."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Before turning in for the night, Jonathan opened the package from Andrew Thomas' office. There was a letter from Andrew, the financial statement detailing all the things his investment to their project had helped them accomplish, and a copy of the magazine with Jennifer's article. He set aside the paperwork and flipped through the magazine.

It was a four-color run of Progressive Architecture Magazine, which specialized in architecture, design, and technology, not a cheap magazine to publish. He had to hand it to Andrew; the man knew how to work his contacts.

Once Jonathan found her article, he quickly became fully engrossed in her words, her story, her photos. She had sufficiently impressed him in her handling of the Kingsford Motors story when things settled down. With this piece, she impressed him all over again. Her words painted a story that drew him in emotionally and taught him intricacies he didn't know about his project. Her intelligence and propensity for the conservation of the natural animal habitats and help for indigenous people shone in her work.

When he finished the article, Jonathan thought if he had read this before he went to London, the avoiding of a reporter named Jennifer Edwards would never happen. He turned out the light and laid back on his bed. Images of Jennifer's smile burned in his mind. No, if he had known anything about Jennifer Edwards before London, he would have been pursuing her.

That pursuit would have been so worth the treasure he had now discovered.

The ringing of the phone brought him back to reality. "Jonathan Hart."

"Hi, Darling."

He smiled at the sound of her voice. "Jennifer. This is a pleasant surprise. I thought you would be asleep by now."

"I should be, but I couldn't sleep. I just wanted to hear your voice again."

"I miss you, too. I am hoping to get back to Maryland this weekend. It all depends on how fast we can wrap up this art problem."

"I hope so. I sure want to see you. And hold you. And kiss you."

"The sooner, the better," he agreed.

"This guy she has found is almost too good to be true, Suzanne." Stephen recounted for his wife the events of their day. "His employees love him. They are willing to do whatever he needs them to do, and he… he makes sure they are well taken care of."

"Trés impressionnant. I love to hear these things. It seems our Jenny has picked well, Stephen," Suzanne tried to reassure her husband. His heart was troubled, she could tell. She wanted to help him find his words and express his troubles.

"Yesterday, he searched for a wedding gift for Jennifer. He spent several hours. And when he found it, he bought it. He knew it as soon as he saw it. And I must say, he's right. It really is perfect."

Listening to him made her heart swell with pride. She knew Jennifer was correct in her choice. Call it a mother's intuition. "Je suis tellement excitée. It sounds to me like you are getting to know our Jonathan better already."

"I think I am. The man is strong and compassionate. He is steady and fun-loving. He is tenacious and tender. He seems to be a perfect fit for Jennifer. And as far as Jennifer is concerned, Jonathan lights up when he talks about her, let alone when he talks to her."

"C'est bon mon amour. Really it is an excellent thing," Suzanne confirmed. "Our Jenny is in love with him, and he is in love with our Jenny. Much like two young kids I knew so many years ago."

"Oh, Suzanne, this I know. She has done well, and yet my heart is heavy. Why is it I can be totally fine with her running all over the world doing her assignments but let her bring home one guy…"

"Chéri, you make it sound as though our Jenny has never dated before."

"No, I know she has dated. But those guys…" he hesitated before he spoke again. "I knew in my heart of hearts; those guys didn't mean anything to her. And they never lasted more than about six months. Jonathan is different. Better. Better for her. And I guess there is a part of me afraid of losing my little girl."

"Oh, mon amour, you are not losing a little girl. You are gaining the son we didn't have."

His frustration began to show, "And when she goes home, she will go home to him."

"It will be no different than when she goes home to New York now."

"No. It will be different," he said sadly. "Jenny will no longer turn to me for the things she needs."

"Oui. It is as is should be, Chéri."

Warren examined all of the paintings from the shipment the picture came in. There were two with the same small cut. Those two they took to Simon Campbell, Stephen's contact at the J. Paul Getty Museum, who also examined the paintings.

"I will need to run some tests to be sure; however, it appears to me these two are forgeries of lesser-known works to cover much more known pieces. I believe taking the canvas off the stretchers is necessary at this point. And we know that we will not be doing damage to actual works of art."

Jennifer was trying to put the finishing touches on an article for the Times. She had started working on it before they sent her to London to do the Hart/Kingsford Motors. With that article finished (actually her writing this time), she wanted to wrap this one up also so she could move on to the more significant project looming ahead: their wedding.

It would be here before she knew it. Really, four months to plan an entire wedding is not very long. She would confirm the location with Jonathan this evening, and start working on the invitations in the morning.

"Chéri?"

"Oui, Momma." Jennifer looked up from her papers to see her mother standing in the doorway.

"Fini?"

"Presque." She looked back at the pages and quickly flipped through them. "I have about five more paragraphs to edit. And then I will be fini."

"Oui. Would you like to take the horses out for a ride this afternoon? We could go after lunch."

"That would be fantastic, Momma."

With the covering canvas' removed, the four men stood looking at the paintings Simon had revealed. "I am impressed with you guys. It appears you have done what to date no one else has been able to do. You found the missing Renoir, A Girl with a Watering Can, and the missing Van Gogh's Self Portrait with Felt Hat."

"These paintings were stolen from the Mohammed Mahmoud Khalil Museum in Cairo two years ago. I was just on the phone with them last week." Stephen offered. "I'm actually heading over there in late July."

Jonathan looked at Stephen, "I knew you would come in handy," he quipped. Turning to Simon, he added, "They came to through a shipment from Italy. And now, we just need to figure out who all is involved." Jonathan picked up the phone and started dialing, looking back at Stephen, "I would like to talk to you… Hi, yes, Lieutenant Gillis, please."

As Jennifer mounted her horse, Sweet Sue, her mother was already sitting on Edwards Rider, or Rider as she called her. Suzanne asked her, "To the lake, chéri?"

"Oui, Momma. Sounds perfect."

"Race you." With that, Suzanne pulled the reins, clicked at Rider, and was off.

"Oh, I'll get you!" Jennifer hollered after her, and she and Sweet Sue set out after them. They raced the entire trip to the lake. Wind in her hair and a steady horse under her was a fantastic combination for clearing her head. Jennifer barely caught her mother as they arrived. "I forgot how fast you and Rider are!" she laughed, dismounting.

They let the horses get a drink, and sat near one of their favorite white oak trees, overlooking the water. Jennifer took a deep breath. The smell of pine trees in the air always made her feel like she was home. It was a comfort she sometimes longed for living in New York. She tried to imagine how living in LA would be different.

She had been there before. Once as a child of ten, when her father had business with a museum in the area. And again as a new journalist writing on a couple of resorts in the area for a travel magazine. That article was how she stumbled into meeting Andrew Thomas for the first time. The meeting had been a tremendous boost to her freelancing career.

Maybe California would be as good for her, personally, as it had been for her writing. The thought made her smile.

Suzanne watched her only child, relishing in the content grin Jennifer wore on her face. "That's a sweet smile, chérie. What are you thinking about?"

Jennifer laughed a nervous little giggle. "I was just thinking about how good that trip to California had been when I was starting my writing. Remember? Papa said he would allow me to pursue writing for a year to see if I could do anything with it."

"Oui, I remember. He can be a stubborn, faithless man. Only trust what he can see and hold."

Jennifer smiled again, "But he let me try. And that trip to California opened up a much larger world for my writing. It even made the book possible. And now…"

It was Suzanne's turn to smile, "And now a wedding. California seems to like you, chérie."

The guys worked with the police department to set up a sting by placing the cut canvas' over blank ones, and putting them back in the restoration room. Then they waited. Expectations were for involved parties to come back to the office and remove the paintings. Officers had the building under surveillance all night.

No one showed.

And his return to Jennifer was delayed longer.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Waiting by the phone for Jonathan to call became a daily thing. Jennifer laughed at herself. She didn't wait for a boy to call when she was a teenager, but now, at nearly 30, this guy had turned her world upside down. And she loved it. And she hated it. Mostly she hated waiting. She wanted him close. Here or there, it didn't matter. Just close to her.

She was lying on the couch, attempting to read a book she had picked up on the last trip she and Suzanne had taken into town. Concentrating was difficult. Thoughts of Jonathan kept running through her mind. She longed to talk to him., to hear his voice. However, what her heart wanted was to be near him. To have his arms around her, to kiss him…

The sound of the phone ringing startled her. Picking it up, she answered, "Hello."

"Jennifer?"

"Hi, Pa! How are you tonight?" So close. So far. She sighed.

"I… We are well. Jonathan says he'll call you soon. I would like to speak to your Mother if I may."

"Thank you. Tell him I can't wait! Momma is making tea. Let me get her for you." She set the phone down on the table and walked into the kitchen. "Momma?"

"Oui, Jenny," she called from behind the cabinet door.

"Ah, there you are. Papa is on the telephone for you."

"Oui. Merci!" She stood up and handed Jennifer a box. "Would you finish fixing the tea, s'il vous plaît?" She headed into the living room.

"Oui, Momma." She opened the box, scooped out the loose leaves and put them into the tea strainer, and placed it into the pot. She let them steep for about five minutes and then drew them back out. She pulled two mugs down from the cupboard and poured the tea. She placed the cups along with cream and sugar on a tray and made her way back to the living room.

Suzanne was finishing her call, "Oui… Oui… Parfait. Merci. Je t' aime." Turning to her daughter, "Merci, Jenny. The phone is now for you."

"Merci, Momma." Setting the tray on the coffee table, Jennifer took the receiver from her Mother. "Hello."

"Hello, Darling." Jonathan's smooth voice reached her ears. She could feel her body relax just from his tone. Oh, yeah, she had it bad. She would give him just about anything he wanted.

"Darling! I'm so glad to hear your voice. How are you?"

"Horrible. I miss you like crazy. And this thing just took a very frustrating turn." He was rubbing his forehead, hoping to avoid a full headache. "I am not going to be able to get back to Maryland this weekend as I had hoped."

Jennifer was very disappointed. "Oh, I'm sorry, Darling. Is there anything I can do to help you?"

He could hear her disappointment but was glad to see she wasn't going to dwell on it. Instead, she was willing to help make things better. "Actually, yes, there is."

"Name it. I'll do whatever I can."

"Good. I want you to get on the plane tomorrow afternoon."

She laughed, "What?"

"I do not want to be away from you this weekend, so I'm sending Leonard to pick you and your Mother up. Just take the Jag to the DC airport and meet him there. He should be there by noon. Oh, and do me one more favor?"

"Of course. What do you need?"

"Bring the emerald and diamond set. I think we can find a place to use it here."

"That sounds amazing. I'll make sure it's packed." She couldn't help but grin. The idea of seeing him made her heart skip a beat, or maybe even two. "Without a doubt, this is the best idea I've heard all week. I can not wait to see you!"

Before Jonathan answered her, Stanley came bursting into the office, "Mr. Hart! I've got it!"

"Me, too, Sweetheart. Um... Let me call you back later. Something just came up." He said into the phone. "I love you, Darling." Then looking at Stanley as he replaced the receiver, "This had better be good Stanley."

"Yes, Sir, Mr. Hart, Sir." Stanley stumbled over his words, papers threatening to spill out of his arms. "After going through our purchase orders, and talking to the company that ships our supplies, I think I have this figured out." He set his papers down on the conference table, handing Jonathan a file of highlights. "Someone set up a dummy account in the Cayman Islands. Then they would deposit checks we wrote for supplies into that account and write checks for the correct amount from that account. So it looks like we are buying supplies from Art Direct; however, the shipments all come from Art Supplies Inc. They have been doing this since 1971. Five years of this type of skimming, and they have pocketed around 3 million."

"Who is making the purchases over there?" Jonathan asked him, flipping through and scanning over the pages.

Stanley turned and moved some pages out of his way, "Well, there are a couple of people who do most of the ordering. Zach Martin and Gabriel Wade." he answered, pulling another sheet off of his stack and handing it to Jonathan.

"A trip to California. What do you think of that, Momma?" Jennifer asked. The thought of seeing Jonathan as soon as tomorrow thrilled her heart.

"Oui! So exciting! How thoughtful of Jonathan. It will be fun to see what your life will be like."

"Wow… I hadn't thought of it just like that." She took a sip of her tea. "I wonder what all we will do… or what all has changed since the last time we were there."

"I bet much has changed, chéri."

"Oui. Especially since the last time you were there." She smiled at her Mother. "The four of us now get to see LA through Jonathan's eyes!"

Lieutenant Gillis and several officers joined Jonathan and his crew in his office. He gave them copies of their paperwork, with the facts outlined and highlighted. All of the evidence they had, which lead to the name they figured was associated with the account based on all they could see.

Now, it was up to the officers. It was their turn to make the arrest, freeze all assets and prosecute all parties involved. They could go on up the chain from here and get leads on the international contacts as well as the local ones. As far as they were concerned, Jonathan and his team were officially out of this case. They had done their part. Cairo knew where their paintings were. Stanley and Warren would straighten out the issues with the vendors, should anything else arise. Jonathan and Stephen would smooth over any problems with their collectors.

Jonathan handed Stephen the keys to open the front door of the house, while he and Max grabbed the packages out of the back of the Bentley. Stephen's contacts in Cairo had come through gloriously. Jonathan was glad they were willing to work out a deal with him. Call it spoils of war of sorts. He helped them solve their theft; they would allow him to purchase the paintings.

As long as he agreed they would have first say at repurchasing them should he decide to sell them. "I would not hear of anything else. That absolutely can be done," he had told them.

Standing in what would be their house, he intended to hang the Renoir and the Van Gogh immediately. However, as he looked around the unfurnished home, he decided to just stand the paintings against the wall for the time being. Until he could bring Jennifer home. This would be their living room. They would hang them together.

Jonathan checked his watch. "Time to pick the ladies up at the airport, gentlemen. Shall we go?"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The men dropped Max back at the condo, grabbed Stephen's things, and Jonathan and Stephen stopped at Hart Towers before heading to the airport. Stephen walked to a café for some coffee while Jonathan headed into the building. He needed to run something by his secretary before he picked the ladies up. Jennifer was coming to his town, and he needed to make sure he introduced her to certain people. He thought of about 75 couples… 150 people off the top of his head, and he was pretty sure he was missing some.

As he got off the elevator, there was a bounce in his step he hadn't noticed before. He loved this office, and being able to show it off to Jennifer made him feel a bit like a kid in a candy store. He really wanted her to love it as much as he did. Jonathan put his hand on half of the "H" door handle on the glass door into his office waiting room, and pushed, singing out, "Good afternoon, Kimberly!" as he did.

Kimberly Ray worked for Jonathan Hart almost since the day he opened in 1969. She was older than him, by a good 20 years, and had an almost motherly love for him. Kimberly had enjoyed watching him grow this company nearly as much as watching her own son. At the sound of Jonathan's voice, she looked up from her desk and asked, "All right. Who is she?"

Jonathan stopped in his tracks, looked behind him, and then back at her, "Who is who, Kimberly?"

She eyed him carefully. "Mr. Hart. How long have I worked for you?"

"Um… seven years now?"

"Seven years." She repeated slowly and paused for effect. Jonathan continued his walk across the room, and sat on the corner of her desk. She sat back in her seat, tilting away from him ever so slightly. "And in seven years, do you know how many times you have nearly danced into this office?"

"Do tell…" he grinned at her.

"Once," she huffed at him.

"Once?"

"Once. In seven years."

He gave her a couple of seconds to continue, but when she didn't, he asked, "And?"

"And… And since I've seen you be excited about good deals, big money, and amazing connections, I know your behavior doesn't change. You are as even-keeled as they come. Nothing has ever sent you dancing into the office. That means there is only one thing that could make you behave that way… You have met a woman… so again, I ask… Who is she?"

Afresh he grinned at her. "Ahhh, nothing gets past you, young lady! And that is what I wanted to talk to you about today." He stood up and gestured towards his office door, "Please, step into my office…"

Standing up, Kimberly grabbed her notebook. She was pretty sure some serious notes were about to be taken. She then followed him in, shutting the door behind her.

Jonathan walked around and sat behind his desk, Kimberly, across the desk from him. "I need you to pull together a party… tomorrow night. Someplace nice, but on the quiet side. If we need to shut someplace down for the evening, I am willing to pay for that."

"What type of party?"

"An engagement party."

"Engagement party," she repeated from behind her notebook before the words registered. Kimberly stopped, peering over her reading glasses at her boss. "I'm sorry… what? Who is the guest of honor?"

"An engagement party." He leaned on the desk, "The guest of honor is my fiancé. Her name is Jennifer Edwards."

"Edwards." Jonathan watched as dots began to connect for Kimberly. "Isn't that gentleman you've had with you this week an Edwards?" she questioned.

"Yes, he is. Stephen Edwards is her father."

"Art dealer…"

"And an art dealer, yes. That worked in my favor this week."

She let that angle slide, "OK… someplace intimate with a dance floor."

"A dance floor! Of course, a dance floor. See, you just saved my party."

"And who do you want to invite. I mean, tomorrow… that's not a lot of notice for people."

"Kimberly… Jonathan Hart is officially off the market. How many people in LA do you know who won't drop everything they are doing to meet the woman who pulled that off?"

"Invite everyone. Check…." She looked at him over her notebook, "Seriously, what's your maximum on the guest list?"

"Well," he pulled a sheet of paper from his jacket pocket and handed it across the desk, "I thought of about 150 people off the top of my head, so maybe we should go to 300?" He thought some more as she wrote some things down. "You know what? Just put together a list, and we can go over it tonight before you go home. It's 3 now. Leonard will land with Jennifer and her mother in about 45 minutes. I will bring them back here before we settle into their hotel for the night. Oh," he said as an afterthought, "I booked them a suite at the Ritz. Would you make sure it's ready for them?" He looked at his watch and stood up, "I need to go to the airport. Can we finish this when I get back."

"I have enough now. If I have questions, we can go over then. I should have most of the details worked out by then."

"Thank you, Kimberly." He walked back out of the office and headed to the elevator. He turned back at the glass door, "Oh, any chance you know where to find a black evening dress? I'm guessing she probably wears a 2."

"How tall is she?"

"5'7" maybe 115 pounds."

"I'll see what I can do."

"You are amazing."

When Jonathan arrived back at the car, Stephen was already sitting in the passenger seat, with four cups of coffee beside him. "Ready?" He asked the older man as he climbed into the car.

"Very," was the answer he received.

Pulling the car from the parking space, Jonathan calmly said, "Then let's go pick up some ladies."

Stephen laughed. "You know, Jonathan," he started, turning towards him. "I need to tell you something before Jennifer is here." Jonathan met his gaze and then looked back at the road. Stephen continued, "I have never been very thrilled with the guys Jennifer has dated." Stephen, turned back to the road as well, "As a matter of fact, most of them she didn't even bring home. I would meet them at ball games or plays she was in."

"She did say something about not being very serious about most of the guys she dated…" Jonathan offered.

Stephen laughed again. "That might be an understatement." He looked back at this man. "You are very different. I must apologize for not giving you much of a chance at first. I think you have more than proved you are worthy of not only dating but also marrying my daughter. I am very proud of the man she has chosen to marry."

Leonard landed the plane right at 3:45. Jonathan loved how reliable that man was. Stephen and Jonathan watched the plane pull up on the tarmac. The time from them pulling up until the stairs were in place, and the door opened felt like an eternity to Jonathan.

Then the door opened, and there she was. "Jonathan!" she called, waving. She climbed down the stairs, and he gathered her in his arms, breathing in her scent. "I missed you," she whispered in his ear. He turned to meet her lips with his, something his heart had longed for since he D.C. It was every bit as good as he remembered.

Suzanne followed her, though Jonathan didn't notice. However, Stephen did. And like the younger couple, he gathered her in his arms and kissed her deeply.

"Welcome to LA. I am very excited to be able to show you around." He told them. "And unless you have other plans, I would like to start by showing you my office building."

"Your town, your lead, Darling." Jennifer grinned at him.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The group decided to stop at the Ritz first. The ladies wanted to get settled into the suite and freshen up just a bit before they did much sightseeing.

When they walked into the lobby, Jonathan was surprised to find Kimberly there, talking to the concierge. She waved at him, saying to the concierge, "Oh, there he is now…" Turning and moving towards Jonathan, she called, "Mr. Hart! I have great news."

"Kimberly. What a surprise to find you here." He turned to Jennifer, "Darling, this is Kimberly Ray, my assistant. Kimberly, this is my fiancé, Jennifer Edwards."

"It's a pleasure to meet the woman who can put a bounce in this man's step!" Kimberly said, extending her hand to Jennifer.

"Oh, thank you very much. It's very nice to meet you, as well." Turning to indicate her parents, she continued, "I'm guessing you've met my father, Stephen Edwards… and this is my mother, Suzanne Edwards."

"I would have guessed your sister. You two look so much alike. Nice to meet you, Ma'am."

"Bonjour," Suzanne greeted her. "Merci. My Jenny is much younger and prettier than I am, but thank you anyway."

"Momma. That is not true," Jennifer laughed.

Kimberly turned back to Jonathan, "So, great news. The ballroom here is open tomorrow night. You can have your party here, and everyone can come to you."

Jennifer turned and looked at Jonathan, "Party?"

He smiled at her. "Yes, Darling. I'll tell you about that in a minute." Turning back to Kimberly, "And everything else?"

"Well. The band is booked. I have Caroline working on catering, Rachel working on calling everyone on the list as a personal invitation. Oh, and several dresses are waiting in the suite for her to try on and pick one." She looked Suzanne over once more before she continued speaking. "They can probably even find one for her mother out of the ones up there."

"Dresses?" Jennifer repeated, feeling a bit out of touch.

For a second time, Jonathan sidestepped the question from Jennifer and spoke to Kimberly. "That sounds like you have taken care of everything. Thank you very much!"

"You are very welcome, Mr. Hart." Kimberly turned back to Jennifer. "If you need anything, I left my card with my home number written on the back in your suite. Feel free to call me whenever for whatever. It was a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Edwards."

"Please, call me Jennifer. And thank you." Kimberly headed back out of the lobby, and Jennifer turned to Jonathan, "Forgive me."

"Whatever for?" His grin was ear to ear, and he rocked back on his heels ever so slightly. The man was delighted with himself at that moment.

"Well." She paused, studying his face, "I seem to have forgotten something in our plans… A party? Tomorrow night? Dresses?"

"Ah... "he replied with more than a hint of mischief in his voice. "That might be because I have a couple of surprises for you."

"Oh?" She smiled back at him, feeling herself getting lost in his eyes, "I like surprises…"

"Do you? I'm so glad."

"Are you going to tell me?"

"Let's get you and your parents checked in, and I'll tell you in your room."

The check-in process was pretty painless. Jonathan and Kimberly set up everything. The bellmen had already taken all of the bags to the room. They received keys from the front desk and made their way to the elevator.

"The 24th floor?" Suzanne asked. "Si belle. Merci."

"It is my pleasure, Suzanne." Jonathan told her on the ride up. "Actually, my place only has three rooms. And since I have one, and Max has another, I felt it was best to have you all stay here. This way, you can have your own rooms and plenty of space."

Jennifer leaned into him and whispered, "That's so thoughtful Darling."

"Knowing how your father was in Maryland, I wasn't about to suggest we share a bed here," he whispered back.

They exited the elevator and made their way to the room. Or rather rooms, adjoining. When they entered, they found their luggage waiting in the rooms, and the adjoining doors were open. Laid out on one of the beds were several garment bags Jennifer did not recognize.

"Jonathan?" Jennifer questioned him.

"Uh-huh."

"Would you please explain about these?" she gestured towards the bed.

"Well. I have a couple of things I would like to explain. Or maybe I should say, a schedule we need to go over. If it's ok with you all, I have several things planned. I know this trip is quick, and there are several things I want to make sure happen."

Jennifer turned to her mother and winked, "It is your town, Jonathan. We are in your hands."

"Excellent! Then we will start with surprise number one as soon as you are ready to go. Tonight will be casual, and just us," he turned to Stephen and Suzanne. "I have dinner reservations for you all set at the restaurant on site. I figured a night alone would be high on your list as well. It's already on my tab, so please enjoy yourselves."

"Thank you, Jonathan." Stephen said.

Turning back to Jennifer, "Then tomorrow will be a relaxed morning, we will get breakfast, stop by my office and run some errands. We will be back in time for you to get dressed. Darling, I have several people I want to meet you. So you and your mother can pick any of those dresses Kimberly had delivered to wear. If none of them are to your liking, we will have others brought over. Your father and I have already taken care of his tuxedo. We will go to the ballroom where we will have our official engagement party. Dinner, dancing, and a few of my closest friends."

"An engagement party? What a fabulous idea. I can't wait to be able to talk to people who have known you longer than I have." She winked at him. "I am going to freshen up, and then we can go."

"Do you want to look at the dresses?" He asked, hoping to pick one out with her.

"No. Not until you are gone for the evening." She replied, walking away from him. Just inside the door frame of the bedroom, she turned back and smiled, "I want to have a few surprises of my own. I'll be right back," and she shut the door.

He turned around to find Suzanne had walked into their bedroom, and Stephen was standing by the window, watching him and laughing to himself. "She will keep you guessing, that one."

Jonathan grinned, "I like it." He picked up the phone and quickly dialed a number. "Hey, Max. Is everything ready? Great. We will leave in a few minutes. Thank you!" He hung it back in the cradle, as Jennifer walked back into the room. She left her jeans on but changed her blouse to a casual, low cut v-neck sweater. "Lovely. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, sir." She walked over and kissed her father's cheek. "Good night, Pa." Suzanne opened the door, and Jennifer walked over and kissed her as well, "Bonne nuit, Momma."

"Bonsoir, my Jenny."

***

Jonathan and Jennifer made their way back to the elevator, hand in hand, to head back to the car, chatting about not much of anything. It was a light, comfortable conversation. The conversation was halted for just a bit when they entered the elevator. Jennifer walked ahead of him, with Jonathan close behind. As the doors slid shut, he spun her around and into his body. His hands found their way to her face. "You are absolutely gorgeous," he said breathlessly and placed his lips on hers. He kissed her like he had been longing for the last two weeks. And she responded with an equal amount of passion. They didn't feel the elevator halt or hear the doors slide open.

"Excuse us." They turned to see another couple, and their little boy, step into the elevator. Jonathan and Jennifer smiled and stepped back to give them enough room. "Nice day today…" the man suggested.

"Uh-huh," was all Jonathan could manage. Jennifer giggled at him.

"Where are you all from?" the man continued.

"New York," Jennifer said.

"LA," Jonathan answered.

The man just looked at his wife. Half under his breath, "That explains a lot."

The little boy watched Jennifer, who smiled at him, "Are you having fun?" she asked.

"You're pretty," he answered.

"Oh, well, thank you very much. You are a handsome young man," Jennifer responded.

"And a wise one," Jonathan quipped.

The doors opened, and the woman grabbed the boy's hand, and half pulled him off the elevator, "Come on, Jake."

Jonathan and Jennifer looked at each other and laughed. "Come on," he said. "I have something I want to show you."

***

The drive over was a relaxed continuation of their chatter. Jennifer watched the buildings go by, and asked questions, which Jonathan answered as best he could. When they pulled into a reclusive neighborhood, Jennifer asked, "This is gorgeous. Just where are we going?"

"To dinner."

"With some friends of yours?"

"Nope, it will just be us."

She watched a few more large homes go by her window. "These places are beautiful. How old is this area?"

"Um… I think several of these places are from the 1940s and '50s." He pulled the car up to a large, unassuming gate, punched in a code at the box, and entered when the gate opened. He followed the road back almost a mile.

"Wow. This place." She turned to face him, slightly in awe, "This is magnificent. Who lives here?"

He parked the car in front of the front door. Jonathan gazed into her eyes. "You do, Jennifer. You do." He got out of the Bentley before she could say anything and ran around to open her door.

"What are you talking about, Jonathan?" she asked, accepting his hand to help her out of the car.

"Your first surprise." He pulled her close to his chest again. "Your wedding gift. I wanted you to have a place you could move into as we plan the wedding."

"So you bought a house?" she laughed. "Seriously?"

He walked to the door, put the key in, and opened it. It was still mostly empty; however, Max had come earlier to make preparations. He had laid out a picnic blanket, chilled champagne, and two place settings. In the fireplace was a roaring fire, which reflected off the hardwood floors and lit up the room.

"Oh, Jonathan. It's exquisite. It's perfect."

"You like it?"

"Oh, yes. I love it!" She reached up and kissed him.

"Come on, let me show you around before dinner arrives."

"Dinner?"

"Yeah, I had Max order us a pizza. I hope that's ok?"

"Pizza and champagne?" she asked. "Can't say I've ever had that combination before."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Jennifer woke with a joy she had never known before. Memories of last night danced around in her brain, much as the two of them had danced on their living room floor.

Their living room floor.

The thought made her giddy. This man, Jonathan Hart, was continually surprising her. The proposal in London. The flight to Maryland. The proposal at her parents' home, complete with a 3-carat diamond ring. And now, a house.

Maybe mansion was a better word? The brick ranch style home was the brainchild of one Lawrence Freeman! Jonathan took the time to walk her through every room in the house, then out on the grounds. They even walked through the guest house. He stopped to kiss her in every room. Each room seemed to be a little more passionate, though he never seemed to be in a hurry. He was taking his time, finding his rhythm, and driving her crazy. He also had another proposal of sorts that equally drove her a bit crazy.

The evening had started in the living room, where Jonathan showed her the two paintings. He told her all that had happened while he was in California with her father. He asked her where she thought the art should hang. Together they laid out possibilities but decided to wait until they had furniture in before they hung them.

Next, the couple headed up the spiral stairs in the living room by the floor to ceiling library. As a lover of books, she could hardly wait to begin displaying her favorites here. They made their way back to the front of the house, talking about plans and possibilities for each room as they went. When they arrived at the double doors at the top of the front stairs, Jonathan stopped her before they walked through them.

He placed his hands on both of her arms and turned her to face him. "Jennifer. Before we walk into what is my personal favorite room in the house, I have a couple of things to discuss with you."

"You have my undivided attention," she was borderline giddy, and she hadn't had any champagne yet.

"Good. I would like to set some expectations with you."

"Expectations?" Jennifer wasn't sure she liked the sound of that.

"Yes. Expectations. See, I can hardly wait to spend our nights together in this room. I desire you more than any woman I have ever known. I'll be honest, I have given into those desires with other women much faster than you and I are currently moving."

"You need not hold back on my account," her voice was amorous, passionate, and she slid her arms around his waist. " I am not a prude, Jonathan."

"I didn't say you were," returning her embrace.

"It is the 1970's after all. I don't know anyone who hasn't slept with the people they are dating."

"That may be true. However, I feel a bit like we have had obstacles in our way from the very first time we met."

"Ugh," she groaned. "I know," she said, kissing his neck, "I'm very frustrated by that, too."

"Frustrated, yes," he put one hand on her hip, moving her back a little and lifted her chin with the other so that he could see her eyes. "However, the more I have thought about it, I must tell you, the more I am both frustrated by and yet enjoying this process."

"Frustrated and enjoying? What do you mean?"

"While I want you very much, I also am enjoying getting to know who Jennifer Edwards is. I mean, who you really are." He stepped back and looked at her, "Not just the amazingly sexy body I see before me." He pulled her close again, "And believe me; I find you extremely attractive."

"Thank you very much," she grinned at him.

"I feel like I am learning to know you not just as my lover, but as my friend. I have learned to respect you as an astoundingly intelligent woman. This process has allowed me to see you in a way I have never really seen any woman I've dated. For that, I am very grateful. This leads me to my expectations for the next few months. I want us to carry on just as we have been, until the day we officially become husband and wife." Jonathan searched her eyes, gauging her reaction. "As much as I desire to make love to you right now, I now want to wait until September 25th to do so."

"Are you serious?"

"Very. It's a big part of the reason I bought the house instead of moving you into my condo."

"Wow," she pondered all he had said. "Does this mean you will stop all this seduction you have going on?"

"Oh, I fully intend to seduce you," he kissed the left side of her neck, "woo you," he kissed the right side, "and win you over every day, in everything short of the physical." Jonathan started in for a kiss, and Jennifer reached up with her hand and put a finger on his lips, pushing him back a bit.

"And do I get a say in that?" she questioned him. "I mean, I find the whole concept interesting, but I'm not sure I want to wait another 12 weeks." He leaned in and kissed her. "Especially when you do things like that…"

"Oh, I don't intend to make the next 12 weeks easy. Just worth it. I want to know your heart, your dreams, your thoughts, as well as I intend to know your body." He grinned that grin of his. "Are you willing to try?"

"Can I think about it?"

"Of course you can. And come back with any questions or arguments you may have. I want to be able to discuss it with you, and I want us to be on the same page, always. Agreed?"

Jennifer reached up and kissed him. "Agreed."

He opened the bedroom door, "Then let me show you around your bedroom, my darling."

It was about that time the doorbell rang, announcing the Pompeii Pizza delivery. Once more, Jennifer smirked at the recollection. Guido was a friendly little guy who liked to talk!

Smiling at the memory of how sweet Jonathan was, Jennifer stretched in her hotel bed. She sat up and put her feet on the floor. There was much to do today. She and Jonathan were taking her parents back to the house after breakfast. The idea of sharing the house with her parents was thrilling to her. However, first, she needed to figure out which dress she would be wearing tonight.

Picking up the first garment bag Jennifer unzipped it and pulled the dress out. She hung it on the closet door, and opened the second bag, hanging that dress beside the first. However, when she opened the third, she knew she had found the dress.

"Bonjour, chérie," Suzanne called, knocking on the door.

"Bonjour, Momma. Come on in." Jennifer turned as her mother opened the door and held the dress up in front of her. "What do you think?"

"Oh, Jenny! Oui! I think that is perfect."

Jennifer laughed, "Isn't it just? I'm delighted I packed my black heels. What about you, Momma? Did you find a dress?"

"Oui, Jenny. Papa helped me pick one last night. I am all set."

"Excellent!"

"Try it on, Jenny."

Jennifer stepped into the bathroom and replaced her nightgown with the evening gown. "How was your evening?"

"Charmant. We had such a good time."

"Great!" She stepped back out of the bathroom. "What do you think?"

"C'est parfait, my Jenny."

"Merci, Momma. Now, I need you and Pa to get dressed. We are meeting Jonathan in 30 minutes for breakfast, after which, he and I have a surprise for you."

***

"How soon do you intend to have the house furnished?" Stephen asked Jonathan as they toured the house.

"Over the next few months, we will take our time to find the right furnishings and decorations." He informed him. "I don't want to rush; however, I do plan on having it livable when Jennifer moves in." He turned to her, "I guess we need to determine when exactly that will be."

Jennifer thought a moment, "I need to look my calendar over, but probably within the next month."

"So, we need to pick out a few key pieces before you head back to New York, so they can be in by the time you get back." She could hardly wait to go shopping with him.

As they toured the house and grounds with her parents, Max and Freeway, Jennifer watched Jonathan interact with them. He was respectful, tender, and patient. Jonathan could make her mother laugh almost as quickly as her father could. Then he would turn around, catch her eye with his bright ice blue eyes, wink and grin at her. Her heart would skip a beat. He was so handsome, so sexy, so charming…

She stood at the edge of the pool and contemplated his words from last night. Who thinks this way in this day and age? And yet, compared to the other guys she had dated, who else treated her with such respect? Had any of them wanted to make sure they knew her heart? None of them had. If all they were interested in was sex, she sent them on their way. Those who made it past that step often seemed not to make it very long after. Elliot had been a particular disaster. Most of the guys Jennifer had taken a strong stance with early. Elliot had been a case of too much alcohol and attraction being a bad combination. She might have seen the red flags sooner if she wasn't drinking that night. She spent the next few months trying to figure out where the attraction and relationship had gone. She finally determined it wasn't worth finding.

Then there was Jonathan. A guy who not only jumped wholeheartedly into the relationship with both feet before any sex was involved, now he wanted to wait until they were married. He would kiss her, he would hold her, but he would not make love to her until they were man and wife. Her head spun.

Could she wait that long? She felt the fire burn every time he kissed her. She felt the sparks when his hand touched hers. When he pulled her close, she wanted to be even closer. Right this minute, the wedding felt like it would take forever to arrive. She sighed.

"Everything ok?"

Jennifer startled at the voice behind her and the arms sliding around her waist. "Oh, Darling! I didn't hear you come back from the guesthouse." She leaned into his body, her head leaning back onto his shoulder.

"So I gathered. What were you thinking about?"

"Our conversation last night."

"Oh? Anything I should know?"

She turned, placing her arms up around his neck, "You mean other than the fact I can not wait to be Mrs. Hart?" He kissed her.

"Hey, you two," her father called from behind them. "What else are we doing?"

"We are going to the church I booked so Jennifer can see it and check out a couple of furniture stores before we get ready for tonight's party. You are welcome to come, or I can have Max take you back to the hotel."

Stephen turned to Suzanne, who turned to Jonathan and said, "Oui, we would love to come with you."

"Then let's go," he replied.

***

The party made the news. Or rather, the engagement of Jonathan Hart made the news. Also the fact several people were flying into town for the party from all over the world. The guest list of 300 Jonathan had hoped for grew to 500. There would be politicians, authors, key figures from the business world, and other celebrities in attendance.

As Jonathan looked over the list, Kimberly handed him he was a bit in awe of her ability to pull this off with such short notice.

"The long and short of it," Kimberly told him, "is everyone wants to meet the woman who removed you from the "most eligible bachelor" list."

Jonathan half-heartedly laughed. "I always hated being on that list anyway."

***

He picked up the phone to place another call after he received the one from Rachel. He had been invited to Jonathan Hart's engagement party the next evening, and he thought his boss would want to know. Of course, he had been correct.

And now he was making plans for a rather explosive party.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

In the couple hours they had, they picked out a white sofa set for the living room with a cherry coffee table, and a king-size platform bed for their room. Anything else would have to wait until after Jennifer moved in.

"Darling," she began as they walked out of the furniture store, "Would you mind terribly if I asked you to take us back to the hotel now instead of lunch?"

"No." He gave her a bit of a pouty look, "disappointed you are leaving me already, maybe…" Jennifer turned to face him, a bit concerned at his reaction until he could keep a straight face no longer. "I'm kidding… If you're ready to go back, I'll take you."

She stepped closer and put her hand on his chest. "Not ready to be away from you… Rather thinking, I'd like to take my mother and have our nails done before we get dressed."

"Then let's go to the hotel. Your Dad and I can get a bite to eat, and then I will have a chance to check on things for tonight, and maybe get some painters lined up for the house next week. I want that completed before you get back."

"Sounds perfect!"

When Jonathan walked into the ballroom, he was in awe of the changes from the last time he was in the room. The two ordinarily drab walls were now mostly hidden behind the dark blue velvet drapery, silver streamers, and sapphire blue and silver balloons. The third wall was windows overlooking the skyline of Los Angeles, which would be a fantastic view of the lights of LA by the time the party started. The fourth wall was the stage where the band was setting up, with the dance floor right in front of it. The decorator noticed Jonathan surveying the room and made her way over to him to discuss other changes she was making and make sure he was happy with the direction the room was taking.

As she pointed and explained, he took in the room. Something about a man on the ladder, hanging balloons and streamers caught his eye. Maybe it was the way that man avoided Jonathan's eyes. Perhaps it was just that there was something kind of familiar about him. Jonathan couldn't put his finger on it. Jonathan started moving to speak to the man when the decorator called for him to approve table cloths for the evening. When he turned back to talk to the man, he was gone.

He turned to walk out, and Kimberly walked in. "Everything looks fantastic; you have outdone yourself," Jonathan complimented her. "Thank you for working so hard on this."

"Absolutely, Mr. Hart. I'm so glad you like it."

Jonathan started for the door and had a second thought. "Kimberly?" he stopped her from walking into the room again. "Do you know each person working on setting up the party?"

"Most of them are hotel staff, so not personally. Why?"

"I'm sure it's nothing. Just something about one of the guys. I don't know. I can't quite put my finger on it."

"Which guy, Mr. Hart?"

Jonathan scanned the room again. "I don't know. I saw him on the ladder, and can't find him now. It's probably nothing."

Kimberly watched him for a minute. "Tell you what. I'll keep my eyes open. If I see something that strikes me as odd, I'll let you know. Until then, you probably need to think about going home and getting dressed."

"Actually, I just need to head into the office. I took my tuxedo there this morning, so I wouldn't have to go back home."

"Always thinking. I like that!" Kimberly laughed.

"See you tonight, Kimberly."

Simon Campbell narrowly escaped Jonathan's discovering him, though since they had only had the one conversation, he wasn't entirely sure Jonathan would have recognized him. Still, it was much too close for his comfort. He walked to the phone in the hall and dialed a number.

"Everything here is set. Hart was here... No, he saw me, but he didn't get the chance to recognize me... I was able to get out of the room before he tried." This conversation wasn't going in a direction that made Simon comfortable. "I need to get ready for tonight… Yes. I will be there."

Jennifer pulled the dress from the bag and hung it in the bathroom. She then opened the in-room safe and pulled out the box Jonathan had given her in Maryland. She opened it to look at the emerald and diamond set. It was a gorgeous earring and bracelet set of oval emeralds with a halo of diamonds surrounding each emerald all set in 18-carat white gold. The dress she picked should highlight the jewelry and show off Jonathan's exquisite taste. She wanted nothing more than to make him look perfect tonight.

Jennifer turned on the shower to warm it up while she gathered the rest of her outfit for the evening. Checking the time, she decided it would have to be a quick shower; she needed time to dry and style her hair thoroughly. Nothing frizzy tonight, and if she wasn't careful, it could get frizzy quickly.

She laid everything out on the bathroom counter and stepped into the shower.

One of the best things about being the boss is the personal bathroom in the office, Jonathan mused as he stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. A shower, shave, and a change of clothes for any need was always handy. He picked up his watch to check the time. People should start arriving in an hour, though knowing LA people, there was a good chance several would want to be "fashionably late." He knew Kimberly would be there in 45 minutes to make sure everything was perfect. He would shoot for around a quarter after the hour.

He told Jennifer he wanted her to arrive in two hours. He wanted her to make an entrance people would remember. Jonathan didn't want anyone to miss her entrance or try to upstage her. He wanted the room full when she walked through the door. When Jonathan asked Kimberly to inform people this was an engagement party, he purposely told her not to mention Jennifer's name. The air of mystery was one he enjoyed.

He double-checked his hair and made sure he didn't miss anything in his shave. Then he started getting dressed.

Simon arrived after the party started. Not too early, not too late. He didn't want any attention to himself. The party was in full swing as there were probably already 150 people there. A live band was playing popular hits and some of their own music, and the dance floor was full. The bar was open, and the buffet was full. He did not see Jonathan Hart yet, so he made his way around the room, talking to several people he knew.

When Jonathan arrived, he was pleased to see the party was going full force. The band Kimberly had booked was very talented. They went between popular songs of the day and more traditional music. He seemed to have the right mix of both the younger and older crowd, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. He started working his way through the crowd greeting people by name as he went.

He checked his watch, finding he still had a good 45 minutes before she arrived. Jonathan was trying to make the best of the time. He greeted people as he saw them, calling each by name, hugging, shaking hands and laughing with them. Of course, the main topic was always the same for each conversation. The question of the evening: who is she? He just smiled and promised when the time was right.

Turning from chatting with an employee of Hart Industries, Jonathan spotted Drew and Susan Kendall. Walking towards them, Jonathan declared, "Hey! It's the newlyweds!" He hugged and kissed Susan's cheek, shook Drew's hand, "How are you two? I don't think I've seen you since the wedding."

"We need to do something about that, Jonathan. That was almost nine months ago now." Drew said.

"Yes. I think we need a double date soon," Susan suggested. "The question of the hour is, what is her name, Jonathan?"

Jonathan smiled at her, "I'm sorry, Doc. Not yet. Soon though."

"Hart!" came a shout from behind them.

Jonathan turned around and smiled. "Elliot Manning…"


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"Manning! You old sea dog!" The two men shook hands, and Jonathan turned to the couple, "Susan, Drew, do you know Elliot Manning, a business friend from New York? We used to race sailboats together."

"Or rather against each other," Elliot laughed. He faced Susan and Drew, "I don't believe I have had the pleasure yet."

"Elliot, this is Mr. and Dr. Kendall. Drew and I have worked some business deals over the years here in LA."

"It's very nice to meet you two," he said with a smile and a handshake. He turned back to Jonathan, "However, the one I want to meet is the woman who could make you want to settle down!"

Jonathan returned the smile. "She's not here yet."

"When can we expect her?" Elliot asked him.

"Yes," Drew echoed. "When will we get to meet this elusive fiancé of yours?"

"Soon." He turned towards the door and spotted a redhead. Suzanne walked into the room, followed closely by Stephen. Even at her age, Suzanne Edwards was the definition of breathtaking. She was in a lovely emerald green silk chiffon floor-length evening dress and tunic. Jonathan faced his friends, "Excuse me, you guys. I see someone I need to greet."

As he made his way back across the room, he waved and acknowledged those he had not talked to yet. Arthur and Helen Radner, Cyrus St. Cyr, Fred Brunis, and Irene Darrell were all chatting together. He noticed Phyliss and Eddie Alexander discovered Myra and Norman Bensinger, probably discussing the latest law case. Harry and Rachel Moore, George and Rose Carrington were also in a discussion, Jonathan guessed about the last tennis match. Jonathan chuckled to himself as he passed Stanley Friesen, who was chatting with Andy Seagram and his current girlfriend about how gorgeous Andy's recent photoshoot had been.

He passed Max on his way and whispered in his ear. "Got it," Max answered. He looked to the ladies he was conversing with, "I must bid you ado for the moment." He turned and headed towards the stage.

Andrew Thomas stepped out of the crowd, "Jonathan. Such a great party."

"Andrew. Thank you for coming."

"And your lovely bride to be?" Andrew winked at Jonathan.

That made Jonathan laugh. Andrew had the inside track for the evening's mystery guest since Jennifer had already told him they were getting married, "I'm on my way to get her now."

"Good. I don't think I can keep your secret much longer."

Stephen found Jonathan, and they caught up with him as he was talking to Andrew. "Good evening, Jonathan."

"Stephen, nice to see you. Suzanne, you look lovely." He leaned over and kissed her cheek after shaking Stephen's hand. "I am very aware of where Jennifer derives her beauty. She looks just like you," he said into her ear.

"Merci, Jonathan."

"Have you two meet Andrew Thomas? He's one of Jennifer's publishers." Turning to Andrew, "Have you met Jennifer's parents?"

"I have not had the pleasure," Andrew answered. Turning to the Edwards, "Enchanté."

Before Suzanne could respond to Andrew, Jonathan asked: "Is she ready."

"Oui. She is right behind us."

"Excellent. I will go wait by the door." He kissed her cheek again, "Thank you for being here tonight. It means so much for us to have your support."

Stephen studied the younger man as he interacted with his wife. Then he reached out, grabbed his hand again, and pulled him into an embrace. "Jonathan Hart, you have surprised me and surpassed my expectations for my daughter. It is with tremendous joy and pride that I," he looked at his wife, then back to Jonathan, "we support this coming union."

"Thank you, Stephen." His words touched Jonathan; however, all he wanted right that minute was find Jennifer. "Now, if you all will please excuse me, I want to go find my future wife." Jonathan turned and headed out the door.

"Parlez-vous français?" Suzanne excitedly asked Andrew. His response started the two of them in a conversation in French.

Once out in the hall, Jonathan rounded the corner headed to the elevators, just as the center one opened down from him, and time suddenly moved in slow motion. Jennifer stepped off the elevator in a black silk velvet dress, off her right shoulder, sleeveless on her left, and cut floor length on the right and thigh-high on the left. Her open toe heels strapped around her ankle had to be 3, maybe 4 inches tall, stretching those long legs out further. Her emerald earrings were shining behind all of that red hair, the bracelet on her right wrist. This woman exuded elegance and grace.

"Stunning." He managed to say. "You are absolutely stunning."

"Thank you very much," she said as she reached his side. She lightly placed a kiss on his lips.

"Are you ready to enter the world of Jonathan Hart?"

"Without a doubt," she smiled.

They heard the music end, and Jonathan offered her his arm, as the leader of the band began to speak. "Ladies and Gentlemen. Please give a warm welcome to our guests of honor, Mr. Jonathan Hart and Ms. Jennifer Edwards." As they stepped into the doorway, the room erupted in thunderous applause.

At the sound of her name, two heads snapped her direction – Andy Seagram and Elliot Manning. "Jennifer!" they both said, on opposite sides of the room.

***

Simon had worked his way to the back of the room. As everyone's attention was on the couple walking in the main door, Simon opened the back door and let an uninvited guest slide into the banquet hall.

***

With the announcement made, the band started playing "Let Me Call You Sweetheart," and Jonathan and Jennifer made their way through the crowd to the dance floor. He pulled her close to him and began to dance her around the floor, much the way they had in London and the way they had in their living room last night.

"Jonathan, I've got to tell you," she started, looking into his eyes, "I am officially swept off my feet."

"Oh?"

"Uh-huh. By an absolutely amazing man."

"I hope I get to meet him."

"Me, too. You'll love him." She paused and then added, "I do."

He pulled her close to him as other couples joined them on the floor. "I like having you so close to me."

Before she could respond, a man tapped Jonathan on the shoulder, "Can I cut in?" He asked.

She looked up and gasped, "Elliot!"


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"What the hell are you doing here?" Jennifer wanted to yell. However, she could not get past his name.

"Wait, Elliot?" Jonathan laughed, not removing his arms from her waist. "Do you two know each other?"

"You could say that." Jennifer turned and looked into his eyes, wondering what this would do to him. "Darling, Elliot, and I dated when I lived in New York. We split about six months ago. Right before I moved to London."

"Six months and three weeks," Elliot responded. Thinking he might sound a little desperate, he tried to laugh it off, "But who's counting?"

Jonathan started laughing harder, "This," he leaned back without taking his hands off Jennifer, "This is the woman who ripped your heart out?" He looked between Jennifer and Elliot. "I've gotta tell you, buddy; you sold her short." He turned to Jennifer, "This is up to you. If you are uncomfortable with him at all, I will not leave you with him."

She smiled at him, "I'll be fine, Darling." She placed a kiss on his cheek and whispered in his ear, "Just don't go far."

Kissing her lips before he dropped his hold on her, he whispered back to her, "Never." Then Jonathan said, "I'll be at the bar," before he left them standing in the middle of the dance floor.

"What are you doing here, Elliot?" Jennifer asked, not trying to hide her irritation at all.

"What? No 'hello' or 'how are you' after all this time?" Elliot questioned as he took her hand and put his arm around her waist, letting his hand rest in the small of her back, and began to dance with her.

"As I recall, it was you who said some rather nasty things before you left me for that girl… oh, what was her name?" Jennifer was trying to keep her voice even. Truth was, the man was as sweet as they come until he thought he had her, then he became abusive. If he hadn't run out on her, she probably wouldn't have been around much longer.

"Brianna…"

"Brianna. Yes."

"We broke up."

"Oh. Too bad."

"I tried to call, but you wouldn't take my call."

"I know."

"I want you back."

"Not interested. You're a player, and I won't be played again. I was hurt. I'm over it. I've moved on." She looked directly in his eyes. "You should, too." She let go of his hand and backed away from him. "Thanks for the dance. I need to get back to Jonathan. In case you haven't heard, I'm going to marry him." Then she turned and walked to the bar, leaving him, mouth gaping, alone on the dance floor.

***

Standing at the bar, Jonathan scanned the crowd but kept coming back to the two he left on the dance floor. Max walked up beside him and ordered a brandy. "What gives, Mr. H?" he asked with a wave of his hand towards the dance floor.

"Apparently Jennifer and Elliot Manning dated. Recently."

"Seriously?"

"If I'm to believe Elliot's stories, yes seriously. Only he never actually told me her name. He just called her Red. I had no idea, standing in London, that this redhead was the one who broke his heart."

"You want I should go bust it up?" Max offered.

"Body language says so much, Max." He could see, even from this distance, Jennifer was uncomfortable with Elliot's touch, and Elliot was getting much too familiar with her. "I think Jennifer can handle him on her own. However, if Elliot's hands get much lower, I'm going to bust his lip." It was about that time he saw Jennifer drop Elliot's hand and begin to move his direction. "See? What did I tell you?" Jonathan found himself breathing a sigh of relief as she chose him and walked away from her past. He smiled as she walked up to him.

"Ms. Edwards," Max called her, "I didn't know you knew Elliot Manning." The bartender sat Max's drink on the bar behind Jonathan.

Jennifer sighed. "It was a lifetime ago, Max."

"Six months is not a lifetime." Jonathan said.

"No, I suppose not," Jennifer agreed. "However, when you are completely swept off your feet in two weeks, six months sure feels like a lifetime."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"What's there to say? It started with too much alcohol, a little bit of attraction, and friends who ran off with other guys, leaving me alone in a bar. The long and short of it is: Elliot pursued me hard, then just when I thought I was willing to commit, he ran off with another woman." Jennifer explained.

"Interesting. That's not the picture he painted at all."

"He talked about me? With you?"

"I think "cried in his drink over you" is more like it," Max interjected.

"Yes," Jonathan agreed. "However, he never told me your name. He only called you Red."

"Ugh. I hated it when he would call me that."

Jonathan grinned and pulled her close to him, "That's good to know."

"Well." She reached up and brushed his hair away from his face. "Andrew and Elliot. Who else from my past do you know?"

He laughed. "I'm hoping no one…"

"Jenny? Jenny Edwards?" came a voice behind her. She looked at Jonathan and slowly turned around.

"Andy Seagram?" She turned back to Jonathan as Andy made his way through the crowd to them, "Andy? How do you know Andy?"

"I think maybe that's a question I should ask you…"

"Also a guy I dated in New York."

"Did you kiss this one, too?" Jonathan smirked at her.

"Now that would be interesting," Max quipped. Jennifer rolled her eyes at the two men.

Andy reached the group and said, "It is you, Jenny!"

"Hi, Andy! Gosh, what's it been… seven, eight years? Jonathan, I met Andy as a new writer for the Times."

Jonathan leaned closer to Jennifer and whispered, "I think I need to get you out of New York, quickly."

"You are still absolutely beautiful, Jenny," Andy gushed. "You are a lucky man, Jonathan Hart." Andy reached out and shook his hand.

"Thank you, Andy." Jonathan grinned.

"So, how do the two of you know each other?" Jennifer wanted to know.

"Andy was one of the models when we did a fashion show fundraiser for Mission Street Orphanage several years ago."

"Mission Street… That's the orphanage you grew up in, right?" she asked.

"Uh-huh."

"Yeah," Andy continued, oblivious to any other conversation going on. "Jonathan's girlfriend at the time is a friend of mine, and she hooked me up with the gig."

"Oh?" Jennifer looked at Jonathan. "You know one of his former girlfriends, do you?"

"Yeah, Irene is here, actually." Andy turned and pointed in her direction.

"She is?" Jennifer smiled, "Isn't that interesting?"

"Uh-huh," Jonathan answered, taking a drink from Max's glass.

***

Making his way through the crowded party, Gabriel Wade kept an eye on Jonathan Hart, biding his time. Simon walked up behind him, "What are we waiting for? Let's move on Hart before he suspects anything."

"Patience. We will stay back in the crowd for a while longer," Gabriel said. "Then, when Hart is most vulnerable, we will shut this party down and make him tell us where the paintings are."

"How will you determine that?"

"We will know it when we see it." Gabriel answered.

About that time, across the room, Jennifer excused herself from the three men she was talking to, and headed out of the ballroom door, looking for the restroom.

"There it is," he sneered. He headed towards the same door Jennifer walked out.

***

Looking in the mirror, Jennifer wondered how the evening celebrating her engagement to Jonathan Hart could have taken such a crazy turn. Elliot and Andy were friends of Jonathan's. She fixed some stray curls, wondering what the odds were? She decided to just look at it as destiny. Meeting Jonathan was going to happen. Satisfied with her look, Jennifer walked out of the restroom.

From seemingly nowhere, there were hands on each arm and something hard in her ribs.

"I have a gun. Keep quiet and follow instructions, and I won't have to hurt you."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

From across the floor, Elliot Manning watched as Jennifer Edwards left the bar and made her way through the crowd and out the door. Then he followed. Admittedly, there wasn't a plan yet. He just wanted to talk to her to apologize for his behavior. Maybe even beg for a second chance if it came to that.

As he neared the doorway, he saw a sight that made his heart stop. He grabbed at the nearest body he could get a hold of without taking his eyes off the men and Jennifer, and in an angry whisper, said, "Get Hart. Someone just grabbed Jennifer."

"Someone just grabbed Jenny? What are you talking about?"

Elliot turned, faced Andy, and growled, "Are you stupid? Go get Jonathan now! I'm going to follow them."

Wide-eyed, Andy turned and ran across the room, back to the bar. Elliot ducked out the door and slid under the buffet table, which was full of food, but no people. As he did so, Gabriel turned back from Simon and Jennifer and headed back to the door Elliot just vacated. As Gabriel walked past, Elliot noticed a chain in his hand.

Simon and Jennifer continued down the hall as he tested doors. Finding one door that was unlocked, he and Jennifer disappeared behind it.

***

When he reached Jonathan, who was chatting with Lieutenant Jerry Gillis and Max, he called out, "Jonathan! Jonathan! They... (huff) grabbed her… (puff) They… (huff) took her." Between his gasping and the loud music, Jonathan was having trouble understanding anything coming from Andy's mouth.

Before he could ask for clarification, the screeching of a roughly handled guitar and shouts of "What the hell, man?" demanded his attention. Then he heard over the speakers, "I need everyone to stay where you are. I have the doors locked and the room is wired to explode." He tried to scan the room, but the lights in his eyes were making it difficult to see. "Jonathan Hart! Where is Jonathan Hart?"

***

As the band was being interrupted, Elliot was working his way towards the door he had watched Simon push Jennifer through. Elliot was confident he didn't know what trouble was on the other side of the door. Nor did he know how he was going to get in without alarming Simon. The only thing Elliot knew was he had to do something.

As he got closer to the door, he could see it was to a stairwell. He opened the door, trying to hear what direction they went. Looking up, he could see shadows on the wall. After kicking off his shoes and pulling off his socks to keep quiet, Elliot headed up after them.

***

Jonathan turned to the Lieutenant, "See if you can get some help. That looks like Gabriel Wade."

"The art thief?"

"Yes." Jonathan turned and stepped towards the dance floor, into more light. "Here, Wade," he hollered at the man. "I'm right here."

Gabriel's head jerked in his direction. "Step out onto the floor so I can see you better, Jonny." Jonathan stepped closer to the stage, away from the crowd that was slowly working their way back from the dance floor. "Ahhh, the great Jonathan Hart." Gabriel sat on the edge of the stage, his legs swinging like a little boy. "You have been a big pain these last few weeks."

"As you were before that," Jonathan smirked as he moved closer to the stage. "I guess that makes us even."

"Actually, I have a couple of things that give me the upper hand... "he stood back up, making sure everyone could see him. "One is this," he held his hand up in the air and waved it around a bit. "For those in the back who can't see, it's a dead man's switch. See this room has several explosives placed around it. Not enough to do damage to the building, but enough to take out most of the people here." A collective deep breath was held in the room as people began to realize the trouble this man was causing. "And second, you may have noticed, Jonathan, that Jennifer has not come back yet… That would be because I have her in another location. I figured, if you didn't care about this room full of people enough to give me the information I want, then you would probably give it to me for her sake."

***

The Lieutenant had made his way to the back of the room. He moved from one door to the next, finding that at some point during the evening, they were shut and chained together. Short of bolt cutters or a key, no one was getting out. Or in for that matter.

"Any other way out, Lieutenant?" Stephen Edwards asked him. "These seem to be locked. And we haven't found any other yet."

"I don't know, Mr. Edwards."

***

Hugging the wall as he went, Elliot could hear Jennifer murmuring to the man holding her arm.

"Please," she said, "please tell me you won't hurt Jonathan."

"Lady, shut up."

"I just want to know he's ok."

"Whatta I care? I'm supposed to get you out of the way. The rest is up to him. You are mine…" She gasped, and even though he couldn't see what the man was doing, Elliot moved faster.

He was two flights behind them now. Rounding the landing, he saw the man had backed Jennifer into the corner; her face turned away from him. The gun was in his right hand, and he was using the barrel to trace her cheek and jawline. Looking around for something to hit the man with, all Elliot could see was the fire extinguisher... which was right where they were standing. He would not have time to get it off the wall before announcing his presence. Backing down the stairs a bit, Elliot discovered there was another one on the floor below.

He quickly moved back down and pulled it off the wall as quietly as he could. Going back up, he took the stairs two at a time. He rounded the next landing and swung the extinguisher as hard as he could at the back of the man's head. It connected with a sickening crack, and he crumpled to the floor.

"Oh, Elliot." Jennifer grabbed him and hugged him tightly. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

"We've got to get you out of here," he said.

"No! We have to go get everyone else." She turned back and spotted the gun Simon dropped. She jumped over his legs and picked it up. "Do you have some rope?"

"No. I don't carry any on me."

Jennifer made a slightly exasperated face at him. "Something… anything to tie his hands?" She looked him over… "Your belt?" Elliot took his belt off and made quick work of wrapping Simon's hands behind his back, tight and buckling it together. "Come on," she said, leading him back down the stairs. "And bring that with you."

***

"What are you after?"

"Why… what I've always been after," Gabriel snarled back, "the paintings you took from me."

"The ones you stole from Cairo?"

"See… you do know what I'm talking about."

"They are safe." Jonathan took another step closer, "But until you bring Jennifer in here, you won't get them."

"Oh, see, I'm pretty sure that's where you are wrong. Right now, as we speak, my associate is working his way to the roof. Once there he has a set amount of time, and then he will send her off… I must get there before that happens if you want to save her." Gabriel looked directly at Jonathan. "And I'm not leaving until I know where to get my paintings."

Before he could come up with an answer, Jonathan noticed a movement towards the back of the stage. He would know that redhead anywhere. What was she doing? She didn't know about the explosives… or the dead man's switch... "Well," he started, wanting to keep Gabriel's attention on him, and yet stall for time for her. "Getting them is going to be difficult. They should be on their way back to Cairo by now."

"Nice try, Hart. My contact says you bought them. So I know they aren't. You don't have this kind of time…"

"How can I be certain that's a dead man's switch in your hand?"

Jennifer turned to Elliot, her eyes wide, "Damn it," she whispered. "Did you hear that? Now, what do we do? If you hit him, he will drop, and this whole place will go up."

"We've got to find a way to keep his hand tight on that thing," Elliot said, looking around. "What about this?"

"That I can use."

"Would you like me to drop it and show you?" Gabriel responded to Jonathan, lifting his hand again.

"No!" Jonathan yelled. "I just would like some give and take here."

"You're searching for room you don't have."

"Maybe," Jonathan said, still trying to stall. He could see Jennifer moving slowly around to the other side of Gabriel. She looked like she was pointing up. Did she want him to do something? She pointed at Gabriel, and then up and Jonathan thought he understood. "But… I'm… just trying to see if you are telling the truth or if you are messing with me." He tried to egg Gabriel on.

"Seriously, Hart? Your woman is on the roof, contemplating a swan dive to death, and you want to try me over this?" For the third time, Gabriel waved his hand in the air, and this time he got trapped. Jennifer spun the rope, and let it fly, catching Gabriel in her lasso. At the same time, Elliot stepped out and swung the extinguisher knocking out his second man of the night.

Lieutenant Gillis rushed the stage and handcuffed Gabriel. Jennifer made her way to the edge of the stage, where Jonathan helped her down. He pulled her tight to him.

"You throw a hell of a party, Mr. Hart," she said, looking into his eyes.

"And you really know how to wrap things up," he said as he leaned down to kiss her.

Elliot shook the Lieutenant's hand as he watched Jennifer. He knew. Just by watching them, he knew Jonathan won, and there would be no second chance for him, so he turned and walked away.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Placing the last of the books from the open box on the shelf, Jennifer sat back and surveyed her work. Two more boxes to go. The library was shaping up to be all she had hoped it would be. As a matter of fact, the whole house was nothing shy of perfection. With one noticeable exception… she was here alone.

The wedding was a short two weeks away now, and she knew it would go fast. And yet… it didn't seem to be going quick enough. The nights at the house alone drug on forever, it seemed.

She had been a resident of California for five weeks now. Being with Jonathan, she had met so many people it made her head spin. And yet… she felt she didn't know anyone here. Trying to get everything tied up and ready for him to out of the office for a month meant Jonathan was working late nights, and their time together was more limited than she had expected or liked.

As much as she loved the house, she was a bit overwhelmed by the silence every night. When Max and Jonathan were there, it was terrific, but when they went back to the condo, the sound of the silence was almost deafening. The sound of the phone ringing was a welcome distraction.

"Hello." She answered, hoping it was Jonathan.

"Allô, Jenny! Ça va?"

"Salut, Momma. Ça va très bien et toi?" she answered, somewhat halfheartedly.

Suzanne paused. "Are you sure, cherié? You don't sound so great."

"Honestly, Momma, it's great," Jennifer sighed, trying to collect her thoughts and express them accurately. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm getting cold feet. I don't know." Jennifer paused again, she didn't want to sound ungrateful, but she wanted to tell her Mom what she was feeling genuinely. "It's just… I guess I miss New York. For sure, it's too quiet here when Jonathan and Max aren't around. I mean, it's only 9 pm, and I find I miss things like the sirens echoing off the buildings. Isn't that crazy?"

"No, cherié, it is not crazy. You built a life for yourself, and you have given it all up for this man. And all so fast. Now, things are different than what you are used to, and different than what you are expecting when you say you will marry him."

"Oui, Momma." Jennifer sighed again. She felt like things were not as she had expected. What was it exactly Jennifer expected? Of even that, she was unsure.

"Cherié. I think we need a holiday."

"Momma. There is so much to do. I mean, there is a wedding in two weeks."

"Oui. And it will be there still will be when you get back," Suzanne told the girl. "I think you need to come to New York with me. Just us."

"Oh, Momma. That sounds incroyable. Almost decadent." She thought for a moment, "Friday is your birthday…"

"Then say yes, my Jenny."

Jennifer thought for just a moment more. "Oui, Momma!" Together they laughed as they set their plans. Jennifer could feel the joy of a girl's weekend with her Mother lifting her already. When she hung up with her Mom, Jennifer called Jonathan at the office to tell him. "Hi, Darling."

"Jennifer! Oh, I hate that I haven't been able to see you all day."

"I know me too. How much longer will you be there tonight?"

Jonathan sighed now. "Nothing is going as I had planned. Between people dragging their feet, and other people not being honest with their numbers, I'm more than a little frustrated with this deal. As a matter of fact, your voice is the best thing I've heard all day."

Jennifer felt a twinge of guilt. "Ugh. I am so sorry. And I hate that the reason I'm calling is to tell you I am going to spend this weekend with my Mother."

"What? You're leaving?"

"Only for the weekend, Darling. I'll be back on Monday."

"But, Jennifer," Jonathan started to whine. "That means I won't see you at all until Monday. And this is Wednesday!"

"Yes, but then a short 12 days after, you will have me all to yourself for a whole month."

"Now, that sounds amazing."

"Doesn't it? I can not wait!" She snickered a bit, "Oh, Jonathan Hart. The things I will do to you come two weeks from now."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"When are you leaving?"

"I need to get a ticket yet…"

"Jennifer," he said, shaking his head. "When will you learn, Darling? You need to call Leonard. Not get a ticket. Call… No, wait. Hang on," he put her on hold. After just a few minutes, he came back, "Done. Leonard will meet you at the airport at 10 am."

"Oh, Darling! You are amazing." She paused for a minute. "That leaves me enough time to pick you up for breakfast in the morning. Pancakes?"

"Yes, please. Until then. I love you!"

"Please don't stay too late! Good night. I love you!" Hanging up the phone, Jennifer headed upstairs to pack a quick bag and get some sleep.

***

At breakfast, they discussed some final plans for the wedding, relishing the fact that in just two weeks, they would be husband and wife.

"I can not wait to wake up on the 26th in the same bed as you," Jennifer told him.

"I can not wait to get you into the bed on the 25th," Jonathan smirked.

"Mmmm," Jennifer closed her eyes, thinking about things to come. "That does sound amazing…" She opened them and looked directly at Jonathan, "In the meantime, you are all set with picking up the tuxes and getting your men to the church?"

"Uh-huh." Jonathan reached out and put his hand on the side of her face. "I wanna go back to the last topic."

"Jonathan. We can not dwell there right now," she said rather breathlessly. He moved closer to her, his eyes not leaving hers. "We'll never get this finished."

"Oh, we'll finish..." he moved closer still, his mouth hovering above hers, their eyes locked.

"Jonathan. You're not helping."

"Maybe this will help…" his mouth met hers and lingered, drinking her in. He was not excited about her leaving for the weekend, though he knew it would help him be much more focused. He removed his lips from hers just far enough to say, "I am going to miss you."

Jennifer swallowed, trying to catch her breath, "And I will miss you, too."

"More coffee?" the waitress asked impatiently.

"Uh." Jennifer turned to face her and forced a smile. "No thank you. Darling?"

Jonathan didn't take his eyes off her, "Uh uh."

Jennifer, still looking at the waitress, "We are good, thanks. Just the check when you have a moment, please. Thank you."

"Where were we?" Jonathan asked.

"Honestly. You are going to be late for the office."

"That's ok, I'll work later tonight." He sighed, "My girl is busy."

"I'm sorry, Darling. I promise I'll get back as fast as I can." She leaned over and kissed him again, just as the waitress brought back the check.

"You can pay upfront."

"Ah. Excellent. Thank you," Jennifer replied. "Ready, Darling?"

"If we must," he sighed, standing and grabbing the check. Together, they headed to the front door, where Jonathan paid for their breakfast. Once outside, Jennifer started to hail a cab. "What are you doing?" he asked her.

"Getting a cab to the airport."

"Your bags are already in my car."

"I know, I put them there when I stopped at the condo, remember?"

"So, I will just take you to the airport."

"Oh, Jonathan, that's so far out of your way. I couldn't ask you to do that."

"You didn't ask. Get in the car."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Come on."

"If you're sure."

"Come on already." He flashed his smile and winked at her. "I need to get to the office, and you're holding me up." Climbing into the car, she watched him for a bit. "What?"

"You know, you really are amazing, Jonathan Charles Hart."

"I know." He grinned at her again, "But I like to hear you say it."

She leaned over, running her hand from his knee up his thigh, stopping herself short, but not removing her hand, and whispered in his ear, "You are amazing."

"Ugh. And you are a tease."

"I know." She grinned back at him, then sat back in her seat, her hand not moving from its perch, "I know."

Once they arrived at the airport, Jonathan carried her bag onto the plane for her. Jennifer caught Leonard before he climbed up after Jonathan, "Leonard, did Mr. Hart tell you where we are flying into?"

"Yes, Ma'am Ms. Edwards. Plans are all set for D.C."

"Shoot. Can we change them?" She paused and added, "And not tell Mr. Hart?"

Leonard didn't even raise an eyebrow, "Of course. Where to?"

"New York City, please."

"Yes, Ma'am. I'll be right back." He walked back into the hanger to make the needed changes to their flight plan.

Jennifer headed into the plane. Jonathan was making some notes of his own as she walked in.

"All set?" he asked.

"I think so. Leonard just went in for some last-minute details."

"Excellent. I really do need to head into the office. I hate leaving you…"

"I know. Thank you, Darling. I promise I will be back as soon as I can."

"Monday."

"Monday."

"Call me before you leave, and I'll meet you here."

She put her arms around his neck, "I look forward to it." As she leaned in to kiss him, Leonard stepped onto the plane.

"All set."

"All right. I'll see you Monday," Jonathan said, and he headed back off the plane.

"Bye, Darling. I love you," Jennifer called after him from the doorway. He turned to wave, and she blew him a kiss. Then she turned back to sit in her seat as the plane door shut. She noticed the paper Jonathan had been writing on was still on the table. It was addressed to her.

"Jennifer, my love -

Every minute away from you is torture to my soul. This last week has been nearly impossible. I can not wait to make you my wife and be able to come home to you every night. Hurry back to me, my love.

I love you, always,

Jonathan"

His wife. She was going to be his wife. Suddenly her feet didn't feel so cold. She was going to enjoy a weekend celebrating her Mother, and then she was coming home to LA to become Mrs. Jonathan Hart.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

She arrived in New York City late Thursday night. "Thank you for a wonderful flight, Leonard," she said. "Would you like to come to stay with my mother and me at my apartment?"

"Thank you, Ma'am. However, I have family in Brooklyn. I will be staying with them while we are here." He grabbed a small piece of paper and scribbled a number down. "Call me whenever you are ready to head back. Give me an hour lead time, and I'll have everything ready to go."

"Fantastic. Thank you again."

"My pleasure, Ma'am."

Jennifer grabbed her bag and went in search of a cab.

The cab ride was quick at this time of day. Watching the activity around Central Park was a comfort to her. Jennifer's cab stopped at the entryway to her building, paid the cabbie, and picked up her bags. She quickly made her way inside, greeted her doorman, and took the elevator to the 25th floor. Upon opening the door, she found the tea was on the stove and her mother with open arms. "Bonsoir, chérie!"

"Momma! It's so good to see you. This was such a wonderful idea! Let me get my bags in my room, and then we can catch up."

When she returned from her room, her mother already had two cups of tea sitting on the coffee table waiting on her.

"Come, chérie. Come talk with Momma."

Jennifer sank into her couch, pulling her feet up on the cushions and tucking them under her legs. "What would you like to talk about?" She took a sip of the tea. "Oh, this is good. Peppermint?"

"Oui. And the question is, what do you want to talk about?" Suzanne put her hand on her daughter's knee. "You seem to have such a heavy heart these days."

"Oh, Momma. It has seemed really heavy. Honestly, I was beginning to wonder if I was scared or if I was getting cold feet." She took another sip of the tea, letting it warm her insides, and untangle her thoughts. "But when I'm with him, there is no doubt about it; I want to always be with him."

"So, your trouble is?"

"My trouble is being alone in that house. I desperately want him by my side, not clear across the city. I love that house, but it's so big and so quiet when I am the only one there." She took another sip to help gather her thoughts. "I think I miss the noise of New York when I am all alone."

"It is a big adjustment, New York to Los Angeles."

"You know, that's not so big. The big adjustment is 5th Avenue to the suburb. From people everywhere to me shelving books alone." Another sip, another untangled thought. "You know, I'm pretty independent. I don't mind doing things alone. But I want to know people are available when I want them, and alone in the house means no one is available."

"Sounds to me like this will all be fixed on the 25th… or by little children running around that big house." The twinkle in her eye was unmistakable.

"Momma! I am not ready for that yet." Jennifer laughed. "Let me marry first, and get to know him better."

"Oui, Jenny, I know. I tease." She, too, sipped her tea, then added, "Though kids will come when they are supposed to come." She smiled at her beautiful daughter and reached out to touch her arm, "You needn't worry about it, Jennifer. That will take care of itself."

He wasn't sure he was genuinely seeing what he thought he was seeing. The crowd across Time Square was busy, a constant moving mass. And yet, he kept getting glimpses of her red hair. Could it really be? No. It couldn't be. His mind had to be playing tricks on him again. And yet…

He wasn't sure he dared hope. Why would she be in New York? She was supposed to be getting married in a couple of weeks. If she was here, did that mean something happened to those plans? Could this be one more chance for him to be able to win her back? She seemed against that chance that night.

And yet, he told himself, there she was. It had to be her this time. He made his way across the street, watching where she went as she and another lovely redhead made their way down Broadway. The two women ducked into a coffee shop before he could catch up with them.

Jonathan got up to the smell of Max's coffee. Actually, he'd been awake for a while. An idea was bouncing around in his mind, and Jonathan wanted to run it by Max. So when he could smell the coffee, he knew Max was awake, too. Jonathan threw on his robe and made his way to the kitchen.

"Morning, Mr. H."

"Good morning, Max."

"Coffee?"

"Yes, please." Jonathan pulled up a stool at the breakfast bar. Max poured the coffee and set the cup in front of him. "Busy day today?" he asked Max.

"Eeehhh. Not too bad. You have something you need me to do?"

"I think I might," he said, then he took a sip. "I've been thinking about Jennifer. She's been here several weeks now, yes?"

"Yes, she has," Max agreed.

"And she's been with one or the other of us most of the time?"

"Except when she's at the house, and we're here."

"Except then. And how does she get around then?" Jonathan took another sip of the warm dark liquid.

"Well. I guess she calls me. Or you. Or a cab."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking."

"I think we might need to fix that," Max suggested.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking," Jonathan concurred.

The two women were taking the afternoon to stroll the city. Jennifer was trying to remember the last time she and her mother slowed down enough to just walk around in New York City. Honestly, she really couldn't remember one since high school.

Working in New York is like everything in New York, run hard, play fast, and never sleep. Jennifer left high school, hit college, and just kept going. Visits with Suzanne and Stephen were either in Maryland on the farm or traveling the world for Stephen's job. And the latter visits often became working visits, where she and her father were collaborating on a piece.

To slow down, from work, wedding planning and moving across the country, and just focus on her mother was a sweet treat. They were in and out of shops, not looking for anything specific, but just enjoying looking and talking.

For Suzanne's birthday, Jennifer had purchased a couple of tickets to see The King and I in the Uris Theater for that evening. They decided to stop in a little coffee shop and finalize their plans. Suzanne stepped back to the restroom, while Jennifer placed their order and got a table.

"Jennifer?" She was startled by a voice that was not her mother's. Looking up, she was even more startled by the face before her.

"Elliot! What are you doing here?"

"I thought I saw you. It took me a couple of blocks to catch up."

Jennifer laughed, "I meant in New York. Last I saw you; you were at the party in LA." She paused for a moment, and added, "I didn't get a chance to thank you for saving my life that night."

"I'm glad I was there."

"Jonathan and I are, too," she smiled at him.

"So your being here doesn't mean you've changed your mind about marrying him?" Elliot asked, a little more hurt in his voice than he intended.

Jennifer tried to laugh him off, "No, it doesn't. We are counting down the days. No, I'm here with my mother, celebrating her birthday today."

"Did I hear someone talking about me?" Suzanne walked up to the table.

"Oui, Momma. This is my friend Elliot. Actually, he's a friend of both mine and Jonathan's. He's the gentleman who rescued me and helped take down Gabriel Wade the night of our engagement party." She turned back to Elliot, "Elliot, this is my mother, Suzanne Edwards."

"It is very nice to meet you," he said, offering his hand.

"Oui, it is nice to meet you," she said, smiling. "However, I must kiss your face, for saving my Jenny," she added, leaning in and placing a kiss on his cheek. "Merci."

"I'm just glad I could help." He turned back to Jennifer, "Well, if you are sure of your decision…"

"My decision?"

"To marry Hart."

"I've never been more certain of anything in my whole life, Elliot. I am totally in love with Jonathan Hart, and I am marrying him in 15 days."

"Then, I wish you the best. Goodbye, Jennifer."

"Have a nice day, Elliot."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Traversing the city sidewalks, Elliot found himself in the middle of Central Park, looking up at the building Jennifer Edwards no longer called home. He couldn't remember how he had arrived at this place. Physically, he couldn't remember if he walked or took a cab from the bar he had been drinking in, and figuratively, Elliot couldn't remember how it was he managed to let Jennifer become his ex-girlfriend.

Watching the dark window, he thought about holding her close as they walked this very park, the feel of her hand in his, the brush of her lips on his… his body involuntarily shuddered. She had been good for him, made him look good, but she didn't want to stay in her place, she was a fighter, and that damn blond had been so enticing. Apparently, Jennifer frowned on a guy seeing more than just her.

A flicker of light caught his attention. The light in Jennifer's apartment came on. That meant she was home. He started her direction and then came back to where he had been. What if she was serious this afternoon? What if she just needs some convincing? Could he live with himself if he didn't try? Could he live with the rejection if he did try?

What was so attractive about Jonathan Hart? OK, sure, the man had money, but money never seemed to be that important to Jennifer. Maybe it was his looks? But Elliot considered himself to be good looking, so that couldn't be it. Did Hart have more charm than he did? Pacing in Central Park, Elliot could not figure out what Jennifer would see in Jonathan Hart over him.

Maybe he should ask her?

Or, since he knew she had a thing for animals, maybe he should tell her about the safari place he was thinking about purchasing. Well, she probably wouldn't like the fact that they hunt the animals there. However, if he called it a reserve, perhaps she would like that. She might even talk to him about that.

***

Jennifer and Suzanne were singing lyrics from the songs and laughing about the play the whole way home. Hanging out with her Mom, Jennifer felt a bit like a schoolgirl. One of her favorite sounds was a full belly laugh from her usually proper mother. The pure joy was contagious.

Once they entered the apartment, the two women changed into warm comfy clothing and fixed some more tea. They were just sitting down to drink a cup when the doorman buzzed on her intercom to inform her she had a guest waiting downstairs. She told him he could send the man up.

Turning to her mother, Jennifer wondered out loud, "What would he want this time of night?"

"Je ne sais pas, Jenny. What did he want earlier today?"

"To ask me if I was still marrying Jonathan."

"Then he probably wants to finish that conversation. I will step out of the room."

"We finished it, Momma."

"This man thinks he can talk you out of your decision."

"He is in for a rude awakening."

The knock on the door set Jennifer on edge. She looked at Suzanne, who turned to head down the hall, saying, "I won't be far." Jennifer placed her hand on the doorknob and took a deep breath.

"Good evening, Elliot. Please, come in. To what do I owe this visit?"

Elliot was already agitated, Jennifer could tell. And the stench of alcohol on him was nearly overwhelming. He began to pace her apartment living room like a caged animal. She tried to figure out if he was rehearsing words or writing his script. "Jennifer," he finally started, "I've been thinking…"

"And drinking, which is never a good combination," she added. Elliot either didn't hear her, or he ignored her.

"… I know we could be good together if you would just give us a chance."

"There is no chance for us. You made sure of that. I told you then, I will tell you now, I will not have a man who is not all mine."

"But she meant nothing to me. You are everything."

"That only makes it worse, Elliot. Clearly, I meant nothing to you if another woman could so easily move you."

"I made a mistake, Jennifer." He was nearly begging her with his voice, "Letting you go was the worst mistake of my life."

"You didn't let me go. You ran out with another woman. I didn't let you come back in."

"I want you back."

"Elliot. I told you this afternoon, and I will tell you again. I am marrying Jonathan Hart…"

Elliot stopped, and turned to face her, "Damn it, Jennifer, what does he have that I don't?"

"Well, for starters, my heart."

He half lunged, half stumbled towards her, grabbing her wrists, nearly growling, "Your heart? Does he have your heart? That heart belongs to me…"

"No, Elliot. It does not. It never did. Now, let go. You are hurting me." He tightened his grip on her as she struggled to break free. "Elliot. Stop." Despite her willing it not to, fear began creeping into her voice. "Let go of me."

As suddenly as he had grabbed her, he let go, with a cry of his own, "Owww. Oww. Ouch! Damn it, that hurts!"

"Tu es un homme stupide. La femme a dit non. Sort d'ici." Neither of them had noticed Suzanne stepping into the room, nor did they see her move towards Elliot as he moved to Jennifer. She started yelling as she grabbed him by the ear and pulled on him. As soon as he let go of Jennifer, Suzanne walked to the door, nearly dragging him by his ear. "Ne reviens jamais."

When Suzanne shut the door with Elliot on the outside, Jennifer hugged her and told her, "Momma, I don't think Elliot speaks French." Suzanne looked at her daughter, a bit wide-eyed, and then started laughing.

"Oh, Jenny. I didn't even realize I was speaking French," which made Jennifer laugh also.

Then she went to the intercom and informed the doorman that the man, Elliot, should be on his way down and was not to be allowed back in.

"Thank you, Ms. Edwards. I will send security up to make sure he leaves."

"You are a gem. Thank you, Eddie."

***

Elliot awoke the next morning with a splitting headache and a vague recollection of being kicked out of Jennifer's apartment building. "Shit," he swore out loud, realizing two things were for sure. The first being he had worked himself up so much, he forgot to tell her about the animal reserve. The second was that Jennifer Edwards was going to marry his former friend, and there was nothing he could do about it. He let his anger burn inside him, wondering if there was any way to rid himself of Jonathan Hart. He vowed to himself, if it took him forever, he would find a way.

***

The next morning, Jennifer woke up more on edge than she had been before.

"Chérie, are you worried this Elliot will come back?"

"Honestly, Momma, I just want to be done with the wedding, and have Jonathan and Max at the house." She took a drink of coffee before she continued, "I don't like the idea of being at the house alone."

"Then don't, Chérie."

"How can I avoid it, other than not going back until the wedding. I sure don't want that. I am already feeling a bit desperate to see Jonathan."

"How long until the wedding?"

"Two weeks," Jennifer sighed.

"And there are still things to do, no?"

"Yes, Momma, there is still lots to do."

"Then Papa and I will just have to come out earlier than planned."

"Seriously? Oh, Momma!" Jennifer jumped up and hugged her Momma's neck. "Should we head to DC today?"

"Oui. That would be perfect."

"I'll call Leonard."

***

Jonathan paced in front of the hanger. His errand had taken less time than he expected, and he was a good 30 minutes ahead of schedule. Jennifer had called him earlier that morning to tell him her parents would be coming with her, and about what time their flight would land. He was both nervous and excited. Jonathan was excited to have her back with him. He hoped she had missed him as much as he had missed her. To his amazement, Jonathan found he was even excited to see Suzanne and Stephen.

He watched the plane as it landed, and taxied towards him. Once the stairs were in place and the doors opened, Jennifer was the first one to the opening, calling out, "Darling!" as she climbed off the plane. He greeted her at the bottom of the stairs, and she nearly jumped into his arms. He kissed her and buried his face in her neck.

"I missed you," he whispered in her ear.

"You did?" she grinned at him, "I'm so glad!"

"Glad?"

"Uh huh." Her smile was infectious, "I wouldn't want to be the only one missing us together."

"Definitely not." He turned and greeted Suzanne and Stephen as they also deplaned.

Leonard brought the bags around and placed them in the open car. Jennifer watched him walk to the unfamiliar vehicle. She turned to Jonathan, a quizzical look on her face. He smirked.

"I figured you didn't have a car in New York, because it wasn't necessary. However, you need one in LA… So I bought you one."

Jennifer looked to the light yellow Mercedes-Benz station wagon. Then back at him. "Are you serious?"

"Very. I also ordered a personalized license plate that reads '3HARTS'."

"Oh, Jonathan! I love it." She hugged his neck again and kissed him hard.

"I'm so glad." He replied, kissing her again. "Now, let's go home, shall we?"

"I love the sound of that," Jennifer said with a smile.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The two weeks flew by with her folks in the house with her. It also helped that Jonathan was able to wrap up work enough to take the week of the wedding off as well. With all hands on deck, the group was able to coss most of their to-do list off.

Together, they had moved most of Jonathan's and Max's things over from the condo to the house. They had completed much of packing for the honeymoon. In the morning, they would tie up a few loose ends, and Friday, they would have the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, then Saturday would be the big day.

Jennifer Hart.

Jennifer Edwards Hart.

Mrs. Jonathan Hart.

No matter how she put it together, the words thrilled her heart.

Tonight, however, she was having trouble sleeping. Too excited? Maybe. She kind of hoped not, as she was pretty sure she would be even more excited the next few nights.

Thoughts of Elliot Manning scurried through her mind, and she absentmindedly rubbed her wrists. The invitations had been mailed a couple of weeks before her weekend in New York, so she knew he had one, and she was a bit concerned about him showing up.

She was also concerned about the fact she had not told Jonathan anything about that weekend yet. She and Suzanne had told him highlights about spending time together, girl talk and all, without details. Even down to where they were. To reveal Elliot, would be to expose New York, to admit to cold feet, however temporary. However unfounded.

She was unsure she wanted to do either.

Sitting in the window behind the newly placed piano, Jennifer was looking past the trees and out over the pool. She wasn't sure it could call it looking, as she did not see much. The site was relaxing. Freeway even seemed to think so, curled up at her feet, lightly snoring. She looked at the snoozing puppy, reached down, and rubbed his head. "At least one of us can sleep," Jennifer whispered. She heard the sound of footsteps on the landing, coming down the front stairs, and moving her direction. Turning her head toward the sound, Jennifer said, "Bonjour, Momma. What are you doing awake so early?"

"Bonjour, chérie. Trouble sleeping, I guess. I could ask you the same question."

Jennifer laughed, "And you would receive the same answer."

"Come." Suzanne motioned to her daughter to follow her. "I fix us tea; you can tell me about it."

Jonathan sat at the breakfast bar in his near-empty condo, with the odd card in his hand. "I don't fully know what to make of it, Max."

"Let me see it again," he suggested.

Jonathan handed it over. The note read:

Jonathan,

Your explosive personality won this round. The trophy is yours, for now. I am sorry to miss the wedding. I will be in Australia buying some land. Best of luck.

Elliot.

"What does he mean the trophy is mine?"

"Beats me, Mr. H. I always thought the guy kinda had a screw loose."

Jonathan chuckled at the notion. "Yeah, you're probably right." He tossed the card into the box on the counter, making a mental note to show it to Jennifer, as he had a suspicion she was the trophy Elliot had in mind. His thoughts were so loud in his head; he hardly heard the knock on the door.

"You want I should answer it?" Max asked him. Getting no real response, he walked around the counter Jonathan sat at, and down the hall to the front door. As Max began to open it, someone from the other side pushed hard on the door, hitting Max in the head just enough to stun him. A hand with a cloth covered in chloroform found its mark in Max's nose and mouth, and he dropped to the floor before Jonathan could react, and the second man made his way into the condo, and from behind also covered his face. Jonathan's world went black.

The phone ringing beside her bed awakened Jennifer. She rolled over and looked at the clock. 8:30 am. "Damn." She had hoped to be out of bed no later than 7:30 this morning. "Hello?"

"Jennifer, you've gotta help him."

"What?" She was seriously groggy. "I'm sorry, who is this?"

"It's Kimberly, from Mr. Hart's office."

"Ah. Yes, good morning. Who do I need to help?"

"Me. You've gotta help me find him."

"Find who?" Jennifer sat up, straighter in bed.

"Jonathan. I can not reach him. I have tried the condo for the last 30 minutes. I know he's not in the office, and the lady from the tux shop said he and Max didn't come in for their 8 am fitting."

"Seriously? All right. I'm taking my father there at 9, so I'll pick up their tuxedos then, and run them by the condo. He probably got the times backward and is sitting in traffic trying to get there. From the condo coming this way is murder this time of day. I'll let you know when I find him. Thank you, Kimberly." She jumped out of bed and headed for a quick shower.

As soon as Jennifer and Stephen stepped off the elevator, they knew something was very wrong. A body was on the ground in the doorway, slumped up against the door, head hanging.

"Max!" Jennifer yelled, running towards the door, Stephen right behind her.

The sound of her voice startled him, and he jerked his head up. Immediately, he regretted this move. "Ugh, my head," he moaned.

"Don't move, Max. It's alright. I'm here."

"Ms. Edwards?" He tried to think, but it hurt. "What...?"

"It's ok; we'll figure it out. Where's Jonathan, Max?"

"Uh… he was sitting at the breakfast bar, thinking…"

Jennifer got up and went to look; however, she found nothing. Jonathan was not there.

Jonathan's head was swimming. He felt like his whole world was rocking, and nothing was coming into clear focus. He needed to figure out a couple of things and was having a hard time doing so…


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Jennifer, Stephen, and Lieutenant Gillis stood around the condo living room, trying to sort out the details. Max was sitting on the couch, a bag of frozen peas held to his head.

"All we have put together, Lieutenant," Jennifer tried to make sense of the events. "Is Jonathan and Max were looking at an odd card from yesterday's mail. Then there was a knock on the door."

"Do you remember what time that was, Max?"

"Gosh, I would guess around seven. We were up to go to the tux shop. We had an eight o'clock appointment. We were going to leave as soon as Mr. H. finished his coffee," Max recalled.

"Pa and I arrived around 9:45. We found Max on the floor." She motioned towards Max, "With that lovely shiner on his face. Jonathan was gone." Looking at the door, she noticed the garment bags holding Jonathan and Max's tuxedos for the wedding were still on the floor.

The wedding.

The thought made Jennifer catch her breath. "Lieutenant. I am marrying this man in three days. Please..."

Jonathan willed the world to stop rocking, and yet he couldn't make it halt. There was a ringing in his ears; he also couldn't make that stop. Or was that a dinging? Yes, less phone more bell, he thought. He slowly opened his eyes. He was alone. And while everything in front of and above him was still, it was also rocking. His stomach turned inside him.

Looking around the room, he tried to put together where he was. Jonathan wanted to sit up, but the position of his hands made that a little complicated. It dawned on him they were tied behind his back. With his face right up against the soft wall, he tried to push back and turn around when he fell off the seat he was laying on, hitting the back of his head on the table behind him. "Ouch!" he said aloud before he caught himself. Then he cursed under his breath. He hoped no one was close enough to hear him.

"We will do everything in our power to find him, Ms. Edwards." Turning back to Max and handing him a card, "Anything else you can remember, please call me."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Jennifer said before she shut the door behind him. "Max," she turned around to face the older man. "Oh, poor baby, how's your head?"

"I'm fine. How are we going to find Mr. H?" As he looked at her, a thought formed in his mind, and his eyes suddenly grew wider. "And before the wedding!"

"I know, Max." She moved to the kitchen. "Do you guys still have anything for a headache here?"

"Uh… Might be in that box on the counter."

Reaching the kitchen and looking in the box, Jennifer pulled the card out and looked it over. "I wonder why he didn't say anything to me…"

"What?" Max questioned.

"Uh, nothing, Max…"

"Jennifer," her father spoke up for the first time. "What did you just put together?"

Jennifer flicked the card over her left hand, nervously thinking about New York. "Pa, how much did Momma tell you about our weekend together?"

"Not a lot," a light flickered in his eyes, as he remembered their brief conversation while he packed his bags for California sooner than he had planned. "Though, I think enough. What are you thinking."

"Well. The card is from Elliot. He's talking about buying land in Australia. That's kind of a big deal." She pondered her words, careful about what she said. "He didn't say anything to me the last time I saw him."

"And you didn't tell Jonathan about this meeting?" her father asked. Jennifer took note of Max's raised eyebrows.

"No. I didn't want to make Jonathan angry with Elliot so close to the wedding. Ugh. That man has been nothing but a pain from the start. Pushy. Overbearing…"

"Screw loose…" Max jumped in.

"Screw loose… yeah, I didn't see that until recently," Jennifer confided.

"So, what does this loose screw have to do with Mr. H's disappearance?"

"Maybe nothing, Max. I hope nothing. However, I wonder…" Jennifer set the card down as she spoke, looked back in the box, and found the bottle she was hunting. She pulled two tablets from it and poured Max some water. Then she walked back to him, handing him the items. "Do you know where Mr. H keeps his trophies from the races?"

Finishing his drink, Max offered, "Sure. On the sailboat." As if on cue, the phone rang. Max grabbed his head. "Uh. Make that stop!"

Jennifer picked up the handset on the wall, "Hart residence." She smiled to herself; she was going to have to get used to saying that. "Um, no, he's not available…. No, Max can not come to the phone right now. Can I help you?... Not that I was aware. Let me see if I can find out." She placed her hand over the receiver and turned to Max, "Hey Max. Was Jonathan planning on using the sailboat today? Or did he give someone else permission to do so?"

"No. Mr. H has too much to do. And he doesn't let others use the sailboat. Why?"

She turned back to the phone. "No, no one has permission…. Oh? Thanks for letting us know, Joe. If you could stall them, that would be fantastic." Hanging up, Jennifer turned back to Max and her father. "Someone is on Jonathan's sailboat. Max, where's that card the Lieutenant handed you?"

When he concluded no one was coming because of his outburst, Jonathan moved around and worked his way to a sitting position. He surveyed the surroundings, figuring he was inside the cabin of a boat. However, it wasn't one he recognized.

The door to his right opened, and a pair of long, shapely legs descended the stairs. The blonde was not unknown to him.

"You don't look surprised, Jonathan."

"Oh, I'm surprised. I'm just trying to figure out why."

"You honestly have no idea, do you?"

"No, I do not."

Jennifer, Max, Stephen, and half of the LA police department showed up at the marina Jonathan housed his sailboat in. Joe walked them to the end of the dock. He pointed to the figure climbing around on the boat in its slip halfway down the pier.

Lieutenant Gillis took several men down, and together they apprehended the man, despite his protests. As they all neared Max and Jennifer, she just began shaking her head.

"This can't be right, Lieutenant," Jennifer sighed.

"He's the guy on the boat. Jonathan isn't there, though," Lieutenant Gillis told her.

"I, I, hey! I can explain," the man was struggling to be heard.

"This ain't your guy, Lieutenant," Max agreed with Jennifer.

"Stanley, what on earth are you doing?" Jennifer asked him.

"Hey, Ms. Edwards. Kimberly said Mr. Hart needed some paperwork off the boat before he left. But I can't find it."

"Stanley. Mr. Hart hasn't been on the boat for a good six months. What paperwork could be there?" Max questioned him.

"She said she thought he left the marriage license on the boat. But I looked all over it. I didn't see it anywhere."

"That's because I have it, Stanley. It's never been on that boat," Jennifer informed him.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

The group headed back into the office to talk with Joe, passing several other boats on the way. Coming out of the marina store, a woman was on her way out with several bags of ice. Max stepped up and held the door for her.

"Thank you!" she sang in a cheery voice.

"Yes, Ma'am," Max answered.

Jennifer stepped up to the desk, "Thank you for calling us today, Joe. Please keep us informed of anything else you see, or if you see Jonathan at all."

"Of course, Ms. Edwards. And I look forward to seeing you and Mr. Hart once all of this," he waved his hand in the air at nothing in particular, "is all settled."

"Thank you, Joe."

The Lieutenant stepped up, "Nothing else going on out of the ordinary, Joe?"

"Nah. I have the Duncan kids fixing their boat for a trip, but otherwise, it's pretty quiet."

Lieutenant Gillis handed him a card, "If anything changes, give me a call."

"Yes, sir!"

Stepping back outside, Jennifer turned to the Lieutenant. "I think we need to have a chat with Kimberly."

"About what? Sending a guy to look for papers isn't a crime."

"Papers I have? Papers she didn't even ask me about?"

"Look, I know you want to find him. So do I, but that isn't criminal activity."

***

The longer Jonathan was awake, the more he was able to gain his sea legs, and the less the rocking of the boat bothered him. It probably helped that the chloroform was working its way out of his system.

Whenever the woman stepped back out, Jonathan tried to search for something to help free him. It took several tries to get up and several more to work out a system to be able to pull out drawers and look in them without making much noise.

He was able to find what he was looking for in the third drawer from the top, in the back was an older filet knife. It would be thin enough to hide behind the seat when the woman came in, so long as he didn't cut himself trying to pick it up after she left.

***

Max, Stephen, and Jennifer arrived at the Hart Industries building a little after one. Stepping off the elevator on Jonathan's floor, they noticed it was tranquil, almost eerie, and Kimberly was not at her desk.

"Shoot." Jennifer turned to the men, "Maybe she's at lunch?" She walked around to the back of her desk, hoping to get a better look at the woman's calendar. Maybe that would give them some kind of insight, but it showed nothing other than what appeared to be work-related appointments and Jonathan's schedule. She was about to walk away when something caught her eye. "Max?"

"Yeah, Ms. Edwards?"

"How well do you know Kimberly?"

"I mean, she's been around for several years, but nothing personal."

"She's seemed nice, and like she's had Jonathan's best interest at heart the time I worked with her," Stephen interjected.

Jennifer picked up a photo frame, "Do you know these people, Max?" She turned it around so he could see the photo.

"Um. That's her kids. I kind of remember asking her about it," Stephen told his daughter.

"Does this look like that lady at the marina to you?"

Max shook his head, "It sure could be." He stepped up to get a closer look at the photo. "You know… those guys sure look familiar to me…"

"Hi. Can I help you?" came a voice from behind them. Max turned around to see who was speaking to them. "Oh, Max, Mr. Edwards, nice to see you again. Ms. Edwards, I didn't see you. Were you able to find Jonathan?"

"Not yet, Kimberly." Jennifer gave her a half-smile and then asked, "Hey, Kimberly, why did you ask Stanley to go to Jonathan's sailboat today?"

"Stanley? I haven't talked to Stanley all day."

She looked at Max, then remembered the frame in her hand, "Hey, who are these people?"

Kimberly smiled at her, "Those are my kids. That's Sam, Ben, and Rachel Duncan. You know, sometimes Rachel helps out around here. Mr. Hart's so good to us!" She grinned at the group.

"Duncan? Not Ray?" Max asked.

"No. When their father left, I went back to my maiden name. The kids kept his."

Jennifer tried to remain calm, "Uh, Max, Pa," she looked at her watch, "ha… Look at the time. We need to get to that next appointment…"

"What appoint…" Max started to ask when Jennifer grabbed his arm.

"Come along, Max," as she nearly pulled them from the office.

***

Jonathan had been working at the ropes on his wrists with the knife. It was a bit too dull, so the progress was slow, and the blade seemed to be doing more damage to his arms than the restraints. Mostly that was the tip of the knife scratching him, though it was enough to begin to draw blood.

The door at the top of the stairs opened again, and the woman came down. Jonathan dropped the knife and pushed it back into the seat.

"Are we leaving? You guys seem to be very busy," Jonathan tried to make something of a conversation with the woman.

"If my brothers can get this stupid boat of my father's working. Yes, we will be leaving."

"You are having trouble?"

"Apparently, the engine is old and not wanting to run. I told them to fix it, but they didn't get it done before they grabbed you."

"Why did they do that?"

"Well, it wouldn't do any good to grab you after you were married to that woman, now would it. Then I wouldn't be able to get you to marry me."

"No, I guess not." He smiled at her. "Are they getting close?"

About that time, Sam stuck his head in the doorway, "Hey, I think we need spark plugs. I just sent Ben."

***

They pulled up to the marina and headed straight for the office. "Joe!" Jennifer called.

"Hi, Ms. Edwards. Back already."

"Yeah. Hey, have those Duncan kids left yet?"

"Um, I don't think so. Why?"

"What slip are they in?"

"Um… H 35, about ten down from Mr. H. Why?"

"Would you call Lieutenant Gillis and have him come right back?"

"Sure." Jennifer and Max headed out of the building before he could get his last word in, "Why?"

***

As the three approached the boat, they could not see the kids anywhere. Deciding their best options was to sneak on board, Jennifer, Max, and Stephen worked their way on as quietly as possible. Jennifer opened the door to the cabin and started down the stairs. "Jonathan!" He had dropped the knife, then looked up when he heard his name called.

"You are the best thing I've seen all day," he smiled.

"Oh, Jonathan, let's get you out of here." She reached Jonathan and worked the knots on his ropes free. "Jonathan, you're bleeding."

"I'll be fine. Let's go."

The four started back up the stairs. Just as Jonathan climbed out of the cabin, they heard the click of someone loading the chamber of a gun. Sam and Rachel were walking in their direction from the front of the boat. "This is a bit of a jam," Rachel said. "I really only wanted Mr. Hart. Now, look. You three have made a mess of this whole thing. You know, I sent that Stanley guy to your boat, hoping that would create enough confusion, and keep you off of our trail. I should have known he wouldn't do a good enough job."

"Hey, you didn't tell me how many to buy..." Ben called as he came climbing back onto the boat. It was enough of a distraction for Jonathan to charge Sam, knocking them both into the ocean water below. Stephen, being closest to Ben, landed a punch on his chin, knocking him back onto the dock. At the same time, Jennifer lunged at Rachel, knocking her to the deck. Max, seeing the pistol Sam dropped when Jonathan hit him, picked it up and held it on Rachel. Lieutenant Gillis and his men ran up just in time to keep anyone else from gaining the upper hand.

A couple of officers helped pull Jonathan and Sam out of the ocean and cuffed Sam. "That water is cold! I'm freezing!" Jonathan said through chattering teeth.

"Let's get you home, in some dry clothes, and I'll fix some hot tea."

"Tea? I'd rather have hot chocolate," Jonathan pouted.

"Hot Chocolate it is!" Jennifer smiled, moving him towards the car.

***

Once the group arrived, they discovered Suzanne had made soup and salad for dinner. Jonathan grabbed a quick, warm shower before they ate. Together, they recalled the entire mess for Suzanne's benefit.

After dinner, Jonathan and Jennifer had hot chocolate and hot tea by the fire in the living room, while the others cleaned up.

"Darling," Jennifer started. "I have a bit of a confession for you."

"Oh?" he questioned as he took a sip.

"Yes. I didn't want to tell you because I didn't know how you would react. However, not knowing where you were today made me realize you can't make the best decisions if you don't have all the information."

"Ok…"

"So, I need to let you know I ran into Elliot Manning when I was on the weekend with my mother. He questioned me about getting back together with him, and he got rather forceful when I told him no." Jonathan's eyebrows raised over the edge of his hot chocolate mug. "Momma and I had him removed from the building, but he was pretty angry. So when I saw that card from him, I thought…"

Jonathan put the pieces together and finished her thought, "You thought it was Elliot's doing that I was missing."

"Uh-huh."

"I'm sorry you had such a scare." He took her hands in his. "Please, don't hold information back because you are afraid of my reaction. I only want to protect you. I can't if you don't trust me."

"Deal." She reached her hand out and shook his.

"You are adorable," he told her as he leaned in to kiss her.

He stood up and helped her to her feet. "Let's get these mugs back to the kitchen before they finish the rest of the dishes. It's late, I really should be going," Jonathan said as he wrapped his arms around her and leaned down to kiss Jennifer again.

"I know it is. But I just got you back, and I'm not ready to let you go. Stay with me for a little while." Jennifer pulled back, searching his eyes, pleading with him. "Please."

"All right. For a little while," Jonathan relented. They set the mugs down on the mantle and walked to the couch. Jennifer snuggled into the crook of his arm, and he tenderly placed a kiss on the top of her head.

A few minutes later, Max, Suzanne, and Stephen walked into the living room from the kitchen, to find the couple asleep on the couch. Suzanne grabbed the mugs and turned to Max, "Do you happen to know where any spare blankets are?"

"I believe I do," Max answered cheerfully.

"Would you grab one for me?" she asked, and he took the mugs from her, then disappeared back into the kitchen. She turned to Stephen, "Head on upstairs, Darling. I will be with you, rapidement." Then she reached up and kissed his cheek.

"Se dépêcher, Darling," he said as he turned toward the stairs.

Suzanne grinned at her husband as he walked away from her. "I love it when you speak French, mon amour."

Max quickly returned with a large blanket. "Here you go, Mrs. Edwards."

"Please, Max. Suzanne," she corrected him. "Here, take this end." They walked to the other side of the couch, and gently pulled the blanket over Jonathan and Jennifer, not wanting to wake them. "Rest well, mes amours."


	25. Chapter 25

Stepping back into the church, for one final check, Jennifer was thrilled with how it had all come together. The heart-shaped candelabras at the front of the church, the areas set up for the morning delivery of the flowers, with the glass and wood arches lining the back of the church to create the aisle entry. It was more than she had hoped or dreamed.

Jonathan walked up behind her, sliding his arm around her shoulders and pulling her tight to his chest. "Hey gorgeous, this all looks fabulous."

"Thank you, kind sir," she turned in his arms to face him. "I'm so excited for tomorrow."

"Me, too, darling. Me, too." He placed his hand on her cheek and lightly kissed her lips. "Come on; we have guests waiting at dinner."

September 25.

Jennifer was beginning to think it would never arrive. And yet, today was the day! Checking the clock, she put her feet on the floor. 7 am. She would grab a quick shower, something to eat, coffee, and then make her way to the church by 8:30. That would give her two hours before the wedding to get ready for this event to play out.

Jennifer turned the shower on so it would warm up before she got in. She headed to the water closet, tossing her panties in the laundry basket as she passed it.

Max stayed at the house with her so he could drive all of the Edwards' to the church. Then he would bring her parents back when it was all over, and she and Jonathan drove off on their honeymoon.

Jonathan and Jennifer.

Husband and wife.

The very idea made her smile. She dropped her nightgown and slid into the warmth of the water.

Jonathan opened his eyes. Was it really here? After everything they had been through these last three or four months, it seemed like this day would never arrive.

The clock on the nightstand told him it was 7 am. Though he didn't have much to do to get ready, he planned on being at the church by 8:30. His goal was to be there for the last-minute issues that would crop up so Jennifer would not have to deal with anything except getting ready.

He threw back the covers and jumped out of bed. Waking up yesterday with Jennifer still in his arms taught him one thing: he much preferred waking with her than without her. After today, that would seldom be an issue.

Jonathan started the water, dropped his boxers, and checked himself out in the mirror. At 35, he was still physically fit, devastatingly handsome, and he was well aware of it. He stepped into the shower with one thought on his mind.

Jennifer.

Today he would make the most beautiful woman he had ever seen his wife. He fully intended to make sure she knew he was the luckiest man ever. He would start with his last two surprises before she became Jennifer Edwards Hart.

He was sending her to the church in a limousine. Jennifer and Suzanne would ride together in it, while Max and Stephen would pick him up at the Ritz, where he was leaving his car. The Ritz would be the reception location, and where he and Jennifer would depart from for their honeymoon.

Jennifer and Jonathan.

Wife and Husband.

The concept made him grin, ear to ear. Stepping out of the shower, he wrapped a towel around his waist and opened the door. He needed the mirror to clear so he could shave. Jonathan walked to the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee while he waited.

"Good beautiful morning, my lovelies!" Jennifer sang as she walked into the kitchen, where her parents and Max already were. She was wearing the slacks and sweater she would wear as they left from the reception. Jennifer walked over to where Max had just poured her a cup of coffee. She took the cup from him, "Good morning, Max. Thank you."

"Someone is overly chipper," Stephen grunted into his coffee. Jennifer walked over to him and kissed his cheek.

"Good morning, Pa," she chuckled at him. She followed with a kiss on her mother's cheek, "Bonjour, Momma."

"Bonjour, Jenny. Are you ready for today, Chérie?"

"How about breakfast?" Max asked as Jennifer sat at the table.

"Oh, Max… I'm not fully sure I could eat. I'm a bit nervous."

"Some protein might do you some good."

"Any chance you have a hard-boiled egg?"

"Actually," he walked to the fridge and opened the door, "I do. How many?"

"Just one, thank you, Max." He pulled one from the carton, and brought it to her, just as the gate buzzed. He walked back and answered it. "Yeah."

"I'm here for Jennifer Edwards," came the response.

"Come on up," Max instructed him.

"What's this, Max?" she finished peeling the egg and took her first bite.

"Something from Mr. H."

Jennifer raised her eyebrows at her mother over the rim of her coffee cup. "Shall we go see?" she asked as she set the mug on the table and popped the last of the egg in her mouth as she stood.

"Après vous."

Opening the front door, Jennifer was shocked to see the stretch limousine pulling up the front-drive.

"Are you ready?" Suzanne asked her, sliding her arm around her daughter.

"Oui, Momma. I am ready."

The driver jumped out from behind the wheel, ran behind the car, and opened the door for the ladies. For a second time that morning, Suzanne looked at Jennifer and said, "Après vous."

Jennifer climbed into the vehicle to find a single red rose, a box, and a letter. Her hands were shaking ever so slightly, more from excitement than nerves, she thought, as she pulled the paper from the envelope.

My Darling Jennifer,

One could say this all started with a single rose. A rose on my pillow. However, I have to tell you you are the only rose I can see. Today, my love, we will become one. This thrills my heart more than you know. Your Momma said you have a new dress, old pearls, a borrowed veil, but are still missing the blue, so I am taking care of that for you. I can not wait to see them on you. Soon, Mrs. Hart, soon.

All my love, always,

Jonathan

She picked up the box and looked at her mother, "Do you know what this is?"

"No, chérie. Jonathan only said he would take care. He did not say how."

Jennifer opened the box to find a beautiful pair of sapphire teardrop earrings.

"Exquisite," Suzanne whispered.

"Are you ready?" Stephen asked his daughter. He walked into the room where she had been preparing for the last two hours. "You are stunning, Jennifer. You make me think of your mother on our wedding day. Absolutely gorgeous."

Jennifer was standing, looking in the full-length mirror at herself. A bride. "Thank you. And, yes, Pa. I've never been more ready for anything in my whole life," she smiled at him.

"And you," he turned to Suzanne, "are beautiful. Look at my two ladies! I am a lucky man."

"Merci, chérie."

He turned back to Jennifer. "I want you to know how proud I am of you. A father could not be more proud. I love you, Jennifer."

"Thank you, Pa. I love you both very much."

"OK, then. It's time. Let's go see Jonathan."

"Yes, let's go find him."

They started down the hall to the doors where Max waited for them. Jennifer's Aunt Martha and her 12-year-old twin grandsons ducked into the church just before the sounds of Pachelbel's Canon in D filled the air.

Stephen leaned into Jennifer and whispered, "I swear, Martha would be late for her funeral."

Jennifer stifled a snicker and scolded him, "Pa!"

"She gets it from my mother's side…"

Jennifer giggled, and corrected him again, "Pa!" About then, she stopped walking.

Stephen turned back to his daughter. "Everything all right?"

"Eh. My heel feels funny." She took the shoe off and looked it over, but not perceiving anything amiss; she slipped it back on. She took another step, and they heard it snap.

Jonathan and Max made their way to the front of St. Alban's Episcopal Church, stopping at the door. Max pulled Jonathan around to face him and straightened his ascot, "I'm proud of you, Mr. H. Jennifer is definitely a keeper. You two are great together."

"Thanks, Max. And thanks for standing with me." He reached out and hugged the older gentleman. "Ready?"

"Let's go."

The two made their way across the top platform and stood in front of the Reverend Harris. They exchanged greetings.

"Are you two ready?" he asked the men.

"Never more so," Jonathan answered.

They all turned and faced the back, Jonathan eagerly awaiting the appearance of his bride.

Two ushers opened the heavy church doors allowing Suzanne, the matron of honor, to begin her walk down the aisle. She walked three-quarters of the way, and then Max, the best man, stepped up to meet her and they walked to the front of the church, up the three stairs and split, Suzanne to the left, or bride's side, and Max to the right, standing beside Jonathan.

The pipe organ opened to blast the beginning of Mendelssohn's Wedding March. The familiar tones announced the arrival of Jennifer and her father.

Only it didn't.

Jennifer wasn't there. Jonathan turned to Suzanne, who could only look back, just as puzzled as he was.

Jennifer and Stephen stood in the hall, her shoe off, looking at the crack that now ran up the heel. Looking at her father, Jennifer asked, "What do I do now?" Then she heard the march begin. Her eyes grew wide. "Pa!"

"I hear it, Jennifer. I hear it." Stephen tried desperately to think of something to help her. "Oh! Wait here."

"Where are you going?"

"I'll be right back…" he called, running back down the hall.

She heard the pianist start the march a second time. It was all Jennifer could do not to panic.

Jonathan turned to Max. "Do all women miss their cue?"

Max could only shrug his shoulders. "You want I should check on her?"

"Let's give her a minute, Max. Surely she won't keep me waiting too long."

When the pianist started the march a third time, and Jennifer still didn't enter the doorway, the crowd began to mumble.

Stephen came running back down the hall, his treasure in hand.

"Tape, Pa?"

"It's all I could find, Jennifer." Stephen knelt and made quick work of putting her shoe back together. "OK, come on!"

Jennifer walked gingerly to the door. The march started a fourth time, and they stepped into the doorway. Jonathan's eyes focused on Jennifer, relieved to see her, his mouth slightly gaping. She was stunning. Jonathan could find no other word for the beauty standing in the doorway. The two figures stood still for a moment. Jennifer took a deep breath.

As they began their walk, the usher adjusted his feet, and Jennifer's three-inch heel snagged on his shoe, and the tape couldn't endure the pressure. Jennifer stumbled, despite holding her father's arm, and grazed her Aunt Martha, who had not yet found a place to sit. Aunt Martha's leg was caught on one of the twin's legs as he was leaning over the back of the back pew. She tumbled into the glass window arch to Jennifer's left. The sound of shattering glass caught everyone's attention. The usher standing behind the window rushed to Aunt Martha and helped her back up. Martha gave a weak smile, indicating she was unscathed, somehow managing to not cut anything despite all of the glass.

Jennifer turned her eyes back to and locked them on Jonathan and his mischievous grin. She took a second deep breath, kicked off both shoes, and started the march over. Once they arrived at the bottom of the front stairs, they stopped, and the Reverend began.

"Dearly Beloved, We are gathered here in the presence of God to witness and bless the exchanging of vows that will bind Jennifer Suzanne Edwards and Jonathan Charles Hart together in the covenant relationship of marriage. When this ceremony has ended, they will leave as husband and wife, having been joined together by the God of heaven. Who gives this woman in marriage?"

Stephen answered, "Her Mother and I do."

Reverend Harris began his sermon by speaking directly to Jonathan and Jennifer about the seriousness of the step they were taking. Neither of them actually heard much of what he was saying; they focused on each other's eyes. "Your marriage should be the union of two lives—two hearts that beat as one – so welded together that they walk together; they work together; they bear each other's burdens and share each other's joys. I want to remind you to be friendly, loving and tenderhearted, and forbearing of one another in love," he had said. "Therefore, marriage is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly. Rather reverently, deliberately, and following the purposes for which it was instituted by God. Into this holy union now come to be joined. If any of you can show just cause why they may not lawfully be married, speak now or else forever hold your peace." Jennifer found herself holding her breath. She half expected Elliot to jump up and make some comments. However, there was nothing, except the Reverend as he continued. "I require and charge you both, here in the presence of God, that if either of you knows any reason why you may not be united in marriage lawfully, and following God's word, you do now confess it.

"Jennifer, do you take this man to be your husband; to live together in

the covenant of marriage? To love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"Jonathan, do you take this woman to be your wife; to live together in the covenant of marriage? To love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"Jonathan, will you take Jennifer's right hand and repeat after me."

They turned to face each other as Jonathan took her right hand in his. He then repeated, "I, Jonathan, commit myself to you, Jennifer, as your husband to learn and grow with, to explore with, to respect you in everything as an equal partner, in the foreknowledge of joy and pain, strength and weariness, direction and doubt, for all the risings and settings of the sun. Today, I choose to spend the rest of my life with you in one adventure after the next. We tie these knots to symbolize our connection to one another. They represent our trust in each other and our combined strength together."

"Jennifer, will you take Jonathan's right hand and repeat after me."

They let loose their hands, and she took his right hand in hers. She also repeated the words, "Jonathan, you have taught me that two people joined together with respect, trust, and open communication can be far stronger and happier than either could be alone. You are the strength I didn't know I needed and the joy that I didn't know I lacked. Today, I choose to spend the rest of my life with you in one adventure after the next. I promise to love you for who you are and for who you are yet to become. I promise to share my whole heart with you and to remember to show you how deeply I care for you, no matter the challenges that may come our way. I promise to love you, loyally and fiercely—as long as I shall live."

"The wedding ring signifies to all the uniting of this man and woman in holy matrimony and symbolizes the never-ending nature of their love. May I have the rings, please?" Max dug her ring from his pocket and handed it to him. Suzanne pulled his ring from her finger and also gave it to the Reverend. "Jonathan, place this on Jennifer's finger and repeat after me."

Jonathan held her hand in his. He marveled at how soft it was, how long and graceful her fingers were. He looked up, into those hazel eyes, and slid the band on as he said, "Jennifer, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you. This is my solemn vow. With this ring, I thee wed: In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.

"Jennifer, place this on Jonathan's finger and repeat after me."

His hand in hers. So strong and yet so tender. Jennifer looked up into his baby blue eyes, fighting the tears in her own now, "Jonathan, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you. This is my solemn vow. With this ring, I thee wed: In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.

"Almighty God, our heavenly Father, We approach Your magnificent throne in awe of Your majesty, power, and love. We recognize You as the source of all that is good in life. We thank You for giving us life and sustaining us each day with Your blessings. In the name of Jesus, our blessed Redeemer, we pray, Amen." The Reverend again spoke to the crowd. "Now that Jennifer and Jonathan have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with joining of hands and giving and receiving of a ring in the presence of this company, by the authority of the state of California and all-mighty God, I pronounce they are husband and wife. Those whom God has joined together, let no one put asunder." He turned to Jonathan, "Jonathan, you may kiss your bride." Jonathan pulled her in close, and tenderly kissed her mouth. A cheer rang through the church before the Reverend could say, "Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Charles Hart.

***The End***

(Or rather the beginning…)


End file.
